Eurydice
by ElfCollaborator
Summary: To return from the dead is impossible, even to return for just a day, even to settle debts and finish unfinished business. Kaori Miyazono, however, is given the opportunity to do precisely that. Post-canon, spoilers for the end of the series. Fix-fic. Rated T for various themes and nudity. Reactsverse. Now complete.
1. Spring

_March 31, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was ten minutes past twelve noon.

The sun was high in the sky, shimmering through the branches of the cherry blossom trees. It was spring once more, spring in Japan, spring when the cherry blossoms bloomed, covering the land in the vibrant pink. Cherry blossoms were beautiful, an unparalleled sight; people came from abroad to see them, and not for nothing was the tree one of the many national symbols of the country. The shops were alive with _sakura_ -themed memorabilia to take advantage of the time. Nearby, a child pestering their parents about when the trees would fly into bloom could be heard, the eagerness in their voice clear like birdsong; apt for the season.

It was also spring for Kousei Arima, spring when he met the girl underneath full-bloomed cherry blossoms, and spring when his fate began to change.

The girl had a name once.

Kaori Miyazono.

The girl who had dredged him up from the dark sea of silenced notes he had found himself in, the girl who had returned colour to his life, the girl who had wormed her way into his life and changed his fate.

The girl whose grave he stood in front of.

The young man stared at the cold, blank stone, his breathing slow, his eyes sore. He'd been standing there for what felt like forever; a quick glance at his phone said it had been half an hour since he arrived at the cemetery where Kaori was. He'd left this day free for that purpose; no meeting up with Tsubaki or Watari, no teaching piano lessons, no recitals, nothing. At least he would be lacking for an excuse to avoid what he hadn't done.

It was true, Kousei hadn't been to see Kaori, not since the funeral, not since her parents thanked him for being the reason she wanted to live, not since-

The letter.

It was hard to read. She hadn't even been dead a few days and with the letter, she had become a whole different person. Kaori wasn't Kaori Miyazono, the vibrant girl who liked his best friend and yet hung out with him of all people, who pushed him back to the piano with all her might, who pestered him for caneles and called him at odd times, she was Kaori Miyazono, the dying girl who loved him- had loved him since she first heard him play-, who wanted nothing more than a chance to play alongside the boy who changed her life as equals, who wanted to be remembered in the hearts of everyone she'd ever met, whose volatile personality hid a girl in fear of her impending mortality.

Kousei exhaled deeply. He wasn't sure what to think nor what to say.

His eyes lay upon her gravestone, her name engraved in the harsh, smooth facade, the last trace of her presence a monochrome memorial to someone far more vibrant, far more colorful than it could ever possibly represent. It was ironic, really; Kaori always asked if he could forget her. Kousei wouldn't- no, _couldn't_ \- forget her, but now all that was left of her was a single block of stone in a row of dozens of almost identical memorials. If he hadn't committed her grave to memory, he'd have forgotten where she was.

Somehow, he found something to say.

"Kaori...if you can hear me, please, listen."

The tombstone was silent. Of course it would be.

"Please, there's just one more thing I have to say. One more thing, one more miracle, Kaori. For me."

As if he needed to say this, as if the words could not simply remain unsaid. She was the one who helped him be reborn as a musician, pushed him onto the stage, asked him to perform a miracle for her, to play through his pain and worry about her.

' _Is it really so unfair….to ask her for one?',_ he thought. _'She always pushed me to do the impossible. Always. Is it so unfair for me to ask you to do one, to do the impossible, just once, for me?'_

"Don't. Be. Dead."

The words caught in his throat, brought tears to his eyes, tears he fought back. His chest twinged, the pain fresh as the day it had happened.

"Would you do that? Just for me?

He hadn't even managed to say a thing to her, that day on the rooftop, after she collapsed into him, begging him not to leave her all alone. And now he was asking something of her, a request she couldn't fulfill.

He clenched his fists, breathing in deeply to try (vainly) to maintain his composure.

"Stop it. _Stop this_. Just _stop_."

A bitter tone lined Kousei's voice as he asked, begged, _ordered_ Kaori to return to him, his breath ragged and his face scrunched up in pain. The tears streamed down his cheeks, his composure having failed him. His chest felt tight, but his gaze was fixed on her name, carved into the uncaring stone.

' _I don't even know what I'd say if I saw her again,'_ he admitted to himself. _'There's…..so much that needs to be said, so much I haven't told her, so much we should've talked about, so much….'_

Truth be told, Kousei didn't know what he'd say if his wish were somehow to be granted, if Kaori were to miraculously appear at his doorstep one day, large as life, with her lovely smile and the spark of life returned to her eyes. Would he tell her he loved her? Would he confront her on what she did to return him to the world of music? Would he demand an explanation?

Kaori had done so much and made him feel so many things in the short period she'd been in his life, so many that Kousei could hardly settle them in the space of a single day. He'd need a year, a decade, a _lifetime_ with Kaori to figure it out with her, to understand what kind of person would have been so caring and yet so temperamental to be her.

And he'd hardly even known her for a whole year.

Minutes passed. For Kousei, it was an eternity, left standing there to stare at the poor substitute for the girl who had meant so much to him.

He closed his eyes, raising his glasses to wipe his tears with his sleeve. There wasn't really anything he could say to Kaori that wouldn't seem pointless; even his request was pointless, but at least it lifted a little bit of the weight he still felt. He simply stared at the grave for a moment.

' _What do I even say? Goodbye? I'll see you later? Thank you?'_

A moment later, Kousei decided on nothing at all. Exhaling deeply, the young man walked away from Kaori's grave, paying it one final glance, before heading down the dust path back to the rest of the world, to the world of color and sound, the world she'd returned him to.

The spring breeze blew lightly across the branches of the cherry blossom trees in the cemetery, carrying Kousei's plea to unknown harbours, beyond the clouds and skies and towards the four corners of the earth.

* * *

 _Don't. Be. Dead._

 _..._

Kaori Miyazono was dead.

That was the first fact Kaori knew.

She was dead for sure. She knew she _had_ to be dead. The operation had failed, she'd felt her heart stop, her breath catch, she'd felt herself fade into oblivion. That was the first fact of the situation; she'd died and gone to Heaven or wherever the dead went to. She was hardly in any position to argue; the dead didn't exactly rise up from their graves to dispute the afterlife.

It was the only way she could explain that beautiful dying dream she'd had.

It was the last thing Kaori had seen; herself and Kousei, playing together, performing the duet she'd promised to play with him when- _if_ \- she got better and the reason she'd been in surgery in the first place. She was proud of Kousei, and happy for him; in that dream, in that moment, he'd returned to being the boy she'd heard all those years ago, no longer reciting but _playing_ the notes. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard and seen.

So she was dead. That was certain.

So what was this?

Kaori looked around herself and down at herself. The second thing she'd noticed was that she was most emphatically _not_ dead. Or, at least, not in oblivion like she'd expected to be. After all, how could she possibly explain being able to think, to remember what had happened? Or maybe she actually was dead and there really was an afterlife. Perhaps God had heard her, all the times she'd said _Elohim, essaim_ , and she really was in Heaven. She certainly didn't feel her heart beating or hear the sound of her own breathing; she wasn't an expert in anatomy, but she was sure that the lack of either usually meant you were dead.

The third was that she had no clothes.

She drew her hands up to hide her breasts from unseen onlookers instinctively, before looking around, realizing she was wholly, entirely alone and surrounded by thick fog, so anyone who was looking on like some sort of pervert could hardly see anything anyway.

' _Of all the things to care about, having no clothes probably isn't the first thing I should be thinking about,'_ she mused somewhat bitterly. _'…..where even am I? I'm dead, right? If I'm dead, what is this?'_

"Oh, but you _are_ dead, Miss Miyazono."

Kaori whirled around to see a calm-looking man in grey robes, his gaze firmly fixed on her face and thankfully not lower. He didn't look much older than her, from her estimation; probably in his early twenties at best. His hair was a platinum blonde, almost white, and his eyes were a steely gray. Though a light smile graced his lips, Kaori couldn't help but feel his eyes piercing into her very soul. The effect was rather unnerving; it made him seem so young and yet so ancient, all at once.

' _Okay, whoever this guy is, he's kinda…..I dunno, off?'_ she thought to herself, lacking anyone else to talk to. _'It's the eyes. What's up with them?'_

"I will be keeping my eyes up 'here', so to speak, so do not worry," the man reassured her in a calm, smooth voice. "But yes. You are dead."

"Then explain this," Kaori replied cautiously, gesturing around her. "Where am I?"

"I will be blunt. You are in the land of the dead. I am what people would call the ferryman."

So she was dead. That much was clear; she hadn't been wrong about that at least. She didn't particularly feel sad about that; it wasn't as if she could do something about it.

' _Okay, so I'm dead. Not insane. Funny how that works; I'm dead and I care more about not being crazy than that.'_

"I expected you to be more….mysterious than that, really," she answered. Then again, she didn't exactly expect to be meeting who might as well be the Grim Reaper in person.

The gray-eyed man shrugged. "You're already dead. What could I possibly achieve by lying to you, except providing false comfort? This isn't some sort of story."

"Okay. I'm dead. So…..if this is the land of the dead, where's…" Kaori looked around through the fog. "…..everyone else? I'm not the only dead person, right?"

"Not important."

"Okay, I'll ask again." The young woman grew impatient, despite who she was speaking to and where she was. " _Where_ am I? This can't be the land of the dead, because I don't see anyone else but you, and I'm _pretty_ sure I'm not the only person who's ever died."

"Where do you want to be?"

"…..what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm asking you a question, Miss Miyazono," the man answered calmly. "Where do you want to be?"

Her answer was so quick as to be instinctive.

"With Kousei-" she blurted out, before catching herself in the act. Not that it wasn't true of course; after all, one of the last things she'd ever said to him was that she loved him, and her whole life, she'd done nothing but drive herself to try to become someone who could perform with him. She loved music so utterly, so deeply, that for him to leave the world of music seemed an unforgivable sin to her.

But why should she expect this guy to know who he was?

The man's smile widened slightly. In some respect, that scared Kaori more than if he'd simply professed ignorance.

"So it is you," he whispered quietly under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Not important," he repeated. "So….with a boy, then. I must admit, you aren't the first young person I've seen, their life cut short, pining for a second chance."

"I-I'm not pining for a second chance!" Kaori snapped irritably, but even as she did, she knew he had a point; she DID want a second chance at life, now that she had a reason to live it. It was ironic; the moment she had a reason to want to live, her life got cut so, so short.

Still, she wasn't going to let some know-it-all smug-looking man tell her about it, even if he was probably the Grim Reaper. She had far too much pride in herself for that.

' _Imagine what Kousei would say if he saw me now,'_ she mused to herself. ' _Imagine what they'd say. I'd be the girl crazy enough to talk back at Death himself. I actually kinda like that idea, now that I mention it…..'_

"But would you turn one down if you were offered one?"

That caught Kaori off-guard.

'… _.is he seriously giving me a chance to….no way.'  
_

She blinked, staring at the gray-eyed man.

"…..what do you mean….offered one? A second chance?"

The man simply sighed. "A chance to settle things with….Kousei, was it? Yes. A chance."

Kaori stared back, speechless, processing what, exactly, he meant.

A chance to settle things with Kousei, just as he'd said. A chance to perform that final duet she'd dreamed about.

A chance to talk to him about the things she'd said in the letter, to reaffirm exactly what she'd told him; that she loved him, loved him so much it _hurt_ to lie to him about it, and that she was sorry, sorry for everything she'd done to try to get him back to the piano.

The decision was obvious, really.

"What do I have to do?" Kaori asked calmly. "To….get a second chance, I mean."

"Nothing whatsoever. I can't give you one."

Her gaze turned to daggers at the man. "W-what do you mean you can't? Y-you just said-"

"I just asked a question and you answered. That's all. I can't just let people walk out of the land of the dead, Miss Miyazono. That would be breaking the laws of the world. The dead are meant to stay dead. You are no exception."

"So why would you even bring it up then?" the young woman exasperatedly asked. She was seriously getting tired of the gray-eyed man's nonsense.

"I can't _let_ you out. I cannot, as long as I am watching you, let you leave."

And then it suddenly made complete sense to Kaori.

A mischievous smirk crossed her lips as she figured out what he was saying.

"Ah. I get it," she smiled, nodding. "You can't _let_ me out of here. So you'll just…..turn your back, go out, get a coffee, that kinda thing?"

"If I do not see it, I cannot be accused of negligence nor of breaking the rules," the gray-eyed man stated. "Peculiar thing about those rules; they were never written down."

Kaori smiled; she'd gotten that reference. "Lucy, from _Peanuts,_ right?"

"One of their TV specials," the gray-eyed man confessed. "Never liked how Lucy always took the ball out from under his feet at the last minute. It's not the exact quote, but I feel I made it appropriate for the situation. How long do you think you'll need?"

Kaori thought for a few moments. She couldn't ask too much longer after all; this man, whoever he was, was possibly already going against the law of the world to bring her back, and being too audacious was being unfair. She'd had her time in the world of the living; it wasn't fair for her to ask for much more, even if her time had been cut short.

' _And anyway, it won't take me too long to deal with it, right?'_ she thought to herself. _'How long could it take me to get all this unfinished business done, right?'_

"I think it'll take me a day. Twenty-four hours," she clarified. "Yes, that should be enough."

' _Enough time for me to say goodbye to my parents, meet up with Tsubaki and the others, and…..Kousei,'_ the young woman concluded.

"If you say so," the gray-eyed man agreed, his expression and tone ambivalent. "Very well then. I shall turn a blind eye. Oh, and one more thing."

He held up a finger for a moment.

"You'll be in perfect health when you return. It'd be….unfair to return you in the condition you were when you left and expect you to do everything in a day, would it not?"

* * *

Kaori Miyazono woke with a start and a gasp.

The first thing she felt was an odd coldness across her back. Then the beat of her heart, strong and constant, thumping in her chest as if she'd woken from a nightmare, the thrum of its beat pounding against her ribs.

She pulled herself up, her breathing quick but strong, looking down at her hands and poring over them as if they were not her own, clenching and unclenching them. The young woman felt a strength she hadn't felt for years, not since she'd fallen as a child. An instinctive grin spread across her face as she supported herself against the surface she was lying on, despite the cold wind raising goosebumps against her warm skin.

Her illness was gone. She was healthy; at least, as healthy as a girl who'd returned from the world of the dead could be.

"Now…." she peered around. "Where am….uh-oh."

She paused, realizing the source of the coldness as she gazed down at her own body once more.

She was naked. Again.

"I suppose that makes sense," she closed her eyes, sighing and shaking her head. "My clothes didn't die with me, after all. Still, would it have killed that guy to resurrect me with some clothes on? Some pervert's going to see me if I wander around like this."

She shivered as she pulled herself off the surface she was lying on, almost stumbling. Her hands caught the edge of the surface, revealing it to be a wooden bench, made cold and hard by rain and air. The young woman looked around her surroundings.

The man had delivered on their deal. Kaori recognized where she was; this was Tokyo, Nerima ward. Judging by what little she could see in the limited moonlight, she wasn't far from her family's bakery, a couple of streets at most. It was nighttime, probably midnight or early morning. A few streetlights were on, but not many; this part of town didn't have too many; they didn't exactly expect a normal person to be wandering around this late.

It was always this dark when she and Kousei finished practicing, late at night, and he brought her home to her parents. Kaori smiled a little at the memory of the boy, before returning to the task at hand.

The first task she had, of course, was to get to Ma Fille and see if her parents were in; not just because she wanted to see them, but because Kaori utterly refused to wander around the place with no clothes on. Her parents would probably rather die than let their little girl wander around with nothing, and she couldn't exactly just show up at Kousei's house and ask for one of his shirts like she did that one time when they jumped into the river. He was probably still awake, knowing Kousei, but she needed time to figure out what to do, or how to even approach him.

' _Actually, what do I even say to him?'_ Kaori thought to herself. _'Do I just…..show up and go 'hey, I've got twenty-four hours to take care of unresolved business, how are you'? Won't he just think I'm some hallucination or something? Dammit, I'll think about it later. I need to get out of here. It's cold!'_

Looking around, Kaori gathered her bearings. Her feet curled up on the hard concrete of the sidewalk she was standing on. She breathed in deeply, taking in the midnight air, looking up at the sky where the moon shone and the stars twinkled. She could faintly see the cherry blossoms in the moonlight; they were about to bloom. Spring was in full swing, and the best part was about to commence.

It was a shame she wouldn't get to stick around to see the cherry blossoms bloom, not when she'd only given herself a day.

' _A little poetic, huh, coming back to life in time for spring,'_ the young woman thought to herself. _'Right when we first met properly.'_

Still, there were more important things to worry about. So many things and so little time to do it, but then Kaori was no stranger to having a time limit for herself.

So Kaori ran, ran towards her parents' bakery, to begin what she came back here to do.

The time was ten minutes past twelve midnight. Twelve hours ago, across town, Kousei Arima had stood at her grave, pleading for Kaori Miyazono to do the impossible and return from the dead.

The date was April the first; a year ago, Kousei had met her beneath the full-bloomed cherry blossoms, and she had begun to change his fate.

And twenty-three hours and fifty minutes remained in the day.

The day was young.

* * *

 _April 1, Nerima, Tokyo_

 _ **Twenty-three hours and fifty minutes remain.**_

* * *

 _ **Eurydice**_

 _ **Spring**_

* * *

 **A/N: Welcome, one and all. Hoo boy, this anime really, really got me. I am a man who has sat through the likes of** _ **Clannad After Story**_ **and** _ **AIR**_ **without so much as a change in expression. The ending, however, was one of the very few times I've ever felt close to crying in any work of fiction. Not for nothing is** _ **Your Lie in April**_ **well-known; if it wanted to pull your heartstrings, take you on the feels rollercoaster and make you feel simultaneously sad and happy at the end of it all, it passed with flying colours.**

 **I'll admit it, this is pretty much a shameless fix fic, as much as I'd like to pretend I don't indulge in that kinda stuff. Much as I hate to say it, I hated the ending, as I pretty much hate all downer endings. However, I do have to give it to Arakawa; the story couldn't have ended any other way. However, I'll leave it to the show to tell the story the author wants. Also, one of the reasons I decided to watch the show in the first place was because this fic idea has been calling in my head ever since my friend told me what the ending was, long before I even knew the name '** _ **Your Lie in April'**_ **.**

 **So I'll ask you kindly if you'll let me indulge myself just once and write a happy ending for a guy who needs a win and a girl who never got a shot at one. Also, you'll excuse how rusty I am at writing; I only really write comedy, so drama is far beyond me. Anyway, it's also an excuse for me to play around with a time-limit. Of course, it probably won't affect Kaori's characterization too much; after all, she's always been living on borrowed time. What will probably affect it is my terrible writing skill, which is the bigger worry. Also, the story takes place in Nerima because, as far as I can figure, that is apparently the real-life basis for the story's setting; quite a few locales in the story get taken from the ward. I wish I knew enough Ranma to make references to that. On the plus side, though, cookies for anyone who catches the _Sherlock_ references.**

 **Anyway, this'll be a little departure from my usual type of story, so it'll only be four chapters. You can already guess what they'll be called. So, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, reviews, suggestions and thoughts, and I hope you have a GREAT day! Until next time!**


	2. Summer

_April 1, Ma Fille Bakery, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was twenty minutes past midnight. A sparrow fluttered past the front door of Ma Fille, settling on a nearby lamppost.

Yoshiyuki and Ryouko Miyazono were sane people, as far as both of them knew; at least, as sane as human beings were. Many of the people who were close to them, and knew of the tragedy that had befallen them, had warned them about possible consequences, including hallucinations of their deceased daughter, borne from grief and the desire to see their child once more.

For the Miyazono family, however, that moment had not come.

Yes, Kaori's death had hit them hard, as it might hit any parent hard to lose their child. After all, no parent should have to bury their child, let alone because of something they could do nothing to prevent. It had barely happened a month ago at best; the funeral was hard to arrange, and they even ensured Kaori's body wasn't burnt as was usually the custom. The thought of their beautiful daughter, crumbling to ashes in a furnace and being stuffed into an urn, was too hard to bear; she'd already suffered enough without that last indignity to her corpse.

They felt she at least deserved some dignity in death.

They'd since thrown themselves into running Ma Fille, their other 'child' as it were, named for Kaori herself. Yoshiyuki had suggested counseling for the both of them; it might not come up now, but eventually, the pain of losing Kaori would come in force, and they might as well do something about it before it affected their lives in a way both of them would regret. Their therapist had mentioned, in their last session a week prior, that they were doing remarkably well to move on after her death.

Granted, they'd had fourteen years to prepare for losing Kaori. It was only natural they would be ready; her death was slow, creeping and painful. That was the only condolence they had; they at least had more time than other parents who had lost their children to prepare for it. Kaori had not died from a sudden car crash or an overdose; her illness had taken fourteen years to do its deadly work, but do its work it did.

All in all, however, life moved on for the Miyazonos. Ma Fille was doing well, their counseling was working wonders, and they saw the Arima boy from time to time; he was, though depressed, at least trying to move on, and they had spent at least one dinner together reminiscing about Kaori's life. They both viewed Kousei as a son to them, even if he hadn't ever been related to them; he was the reason Kaori wanted to live, the reason she tried so hard to live, and so he was welcome any time he wanted, for any reason. It was the least they could do for the boy their daughter loved so much.

The Miyazonos were, all in all, pretty confident they weren't insane, let alone from grief.

That assumption was challenged when, at twenty minutes past twelve midnight, they looked up from cleaning up the bakery for closing time to see their very much alive daughter, banging on the front door, with absolutely no clothes on.

She looked a lot healthier than she had when she'd passed; her skin was pinker and fuller, and her hair and eyes were back to the vibrant gold and blue they once were. Her knees and shins were a little scuffed and messy, but aside from that, she looked rather clean for someone who'd been running around in a city with no clothes for a night.

"Mom! Dad!" Kaori yelled through the glass, rapping rapidly on the door with her hand. "Could you let me in? It's kinda cold out here!"

Yoshiyuki and Ryouko shared a look between each other, then stared at Kaori, not quite understanding what was going on. For all it seemed, there was an alien dressed in clown makeup offering them tickets to a gun show knocking on their door; such an image seemed to be the best way to encapsulate exactly how bizarre this image was to the Miyazonos.

Of course, this was only the logical reaction; in their experience and indeed in the experience of most of the human race, the dead did not tend to rise from their graves, let alone rise from their graves looking as healthy or indeed _alive_ as their daughter currently did.

"…that IS our daughter, right, dear?" Ryouko inquired, her mouth agape. "That's our Kaori, right? I'm not the only one seeing this? Please tell me I haven't gone insane."

"…..no, no you aren't insane, or else we're both insane," Yoshiyuki replied, stunned as he took the frankly absurd and ridiculous sight in. "That's definitely Kaori. But….how? She's…..but that's not…."

"It's not…..possible. She's….. _gone_." Kaori's mother couldn't bring herself to say she was _dead,_ even if it was the truth (except it wasn't because Kaori was somehow here, alive, and apparently waltzing around Nerima ward in the dead of night with no clothes). _"_ How can she be _here_?"

"Hello? Guys?!" their daughter cried, still knocking on the door. "I-I'm kinda naked out here! Can you let me in, please?! It's getting _really_ cold and it's kinda late!"

' _Then again, why am I surprised they're so surprised?'_ she thought to herself. _'Not every day the dead come back to the world of the living, right?_

 _That would make me a zombie, technically. Huh. That's a thought.'_

* * *

 _Ten minutes later…._

"…..and that's how I woke up on a bench about ten minutes away," Kaori finished her story, placing down the mug of hot chocolate her parents had made her, clutching it in both hands to enjoy the warmth, a half-eaten canele sitting in front of her on a cute little decorative plate from the bakery. She was in a pair of plain pink pajamas, the cotton lining for which she was infinitely grateful; after ten minutes in the cold buck naked, warm, fluffy clothes were the best thing in the world. She leaned back in the soft chair she was sitting in, letting out a satisfied sigh. "I tripped a little on the way here, too. That's why I'm all cut up at the legs. Turns out, when you've been dead and not using your legs properly for a while, you kinda forget how to walk properly. Funny thing; you'd think walking would be easy, after doing it for years."

' _It's good to be back,'_ she contentedly thought to herself. ' _Even if it's just for a little bit.'_

Her parents simply nodded slowly, their facial expressions a mix between relief at seeing their beloved daughter again, confusion at how completely bizarre and improbable her story was, and surprise as to how she came back in the first place.

"So let me get this straight," her father clarified, his voice slow. "So you're here because you've been allowed to finish unfinished business, with us, your friends and Arima?"

"Yep! I'm like a ghost from the movies. Only I don't float. Or pass through things."

Ryouko was simply staring at her daughter, taking in the sight. "…..I still can't believe you're…..here, Kaori."

"It's only for a day," Kaori admitted, a tone of sadness in her voice. Again, not as if she hadn't expected that; her whole life was living on borrowed time and this was no different. "But I have to make the most of it. I'm sorry I can't come back for longer, Mom, Dad, I really am. But I had my time here, and…..the person who sent me back is risking a lot as it is. At least, that's what he said."

Her parents simply stared at her, a look of desperation in their faces as they were reminded of just how little time she had left. Losing Kaori once was bad enough; to see her again only for her to be told that they were going to lose her just as quickly, this time forever, was even harder.

Still, there was nothing to be done. Her surviving for so long was a miracle. Her return for a day was a miracle. To expect any more would be unfair.

Yoshiyuki simply closed his eyes, breathing in deeply to try to hold his composure. "…..are you sure you can't stay for any longer, Kaori?"

His daughter shook her head sadly, her expression looking more and more morose. "I'm sorry. I said I'd only need a day to fix everything. He's probably going to go back for me then."

"You can't just-!" Ryouko interjected hastily, before holding her tongue, a desperate look in her eyes betraying her true feelings as she calmed down. "You can't just _leave_ us again, Kaori. Do you know how painful it was to lose you the first time?"

"Yes, Mom. I know, I _know_ ," Kaori choked out, sniffling as she took in the begging, pleading expressions of both her parents. Her eyes began to well with tears; she really hadn't thought about how her parents would react. "I _know_ that it had to be painful, I _**know**_ , but….I-I can't do anything about it.

I'm sorry, I really am. I wish I could just…. _stay here_ and never have to go back."

The true gravity of Kaori's decision weighed upon the young woman for the first time since she'd returned. The absurdity of her nakedness had distracted her from the very weight of her mission and the time in which she had to complete it.

One day. Kaori had one day to finish business with everyone she cared about in life.

One day wasn't enough, even if that group of people numbered only five people.

It could never be enough.

It would never be enough to apologise and repay her parents for everything they ever did for her; all the work and money they put into her hospital stays, all the love and kindness they had lavished upon her, all the support they provided her in all her tempestuousness. It would never be enough to tell Tsubaki and Watari how much they mattered to her, how much their friendship mattered to her, especially when she was in the hospital, how much that having them around, however little it helped, made her life just that bit brighter before the end.

It could never possibly be enough to be with Kousei.

It would take a lifetime for Kaori to express everything she felt for him; how much she admired him as the musician who'd drawn her into a world of beauty, liked him as the best, most understanding friend anyone could have, loved him as the sweet and kind man who'd tolerate her no matter what, who would never, ever stop loving her even when she called him at odd hours, threw things at him, hit him or demanded caneles of him. It would take her a lifetime to make up for the relationship they almost had.

She had, at best, less than twenty-four hours to do it.

And like that, Kaori began to cry for the first time since that fateful day on the rooftop.

Her parents held their daughter tightly, hugged her close, held onto her for dear life, as if the very act of crying was going to take her away from them again.

For what felt like an eternity, the Miyazono family simply sat there in silence, nothing but the sounds of tears hitting the surface of the table they sat around as they held each other close. It was all they needed, all they wanted.

When Kaori left the first time, they never even had the chance to say goodbye to her. She'd flatlined on the table, and that was it. No chance to see their daughter off, no chance to comfort her in her final moments. The doctors had simply come out, announced that they couldn't save her, and gave them a time of death, offered them a weak, hollow apology; it could never, ever be enough to make up for the loss they'd suffered. They hadn't even seen her corpse until hours afterwards, when they cleaned off the blood to return some sense of dignity to her.

The image of their dead daughter haunted both their eyes to this day; Kaori, so lively in life, so vibrant, so colorful, was drained and pale as a sheet. Her eyes were lightly closed and her mouth in a tiny 'O'; in any other setting, she might have been sleeping. Her corpse looked vulnerable, so fragile, so weak wrapped in a simple sheet, a pale imitation of the girl to whom it had once belonged.

This time, the Miyazono family did not waste time. There were no words; there weren't any needed. Their tears were enough. This time, they had a chance to say goodbye to their daughter properly, to see her off as the girl they loved; strong, colorful and beautiful, not the weak, inadequate remnant they saw off the first time.

And they would not waste it.

* * *

The clock had struck one by the time someone spoke and broke the spell that had hung over the room. It was Kaori.

"…..do you mind if I….use my room, one last time?" she asked plaintively. "I'm not sleeping, not tonight, but…..I just need time to be alone, is all."

' _I need time. I need to figure out how I'm going to talk to the others, to Tsubaki, to Watari…to Kousei.'_

She needed time. To calm herself down, to assess her situation, to figure out what to do next. Even half a day was enough time to have a few conversations, after all. She had to think positively and creatively; at least this time, she knew what limit she was working with.

Maybe, if she begged, she might even be able to get that duet in after all.

' _Better to go out with a bang than going out with a whimper, right?'_

Kaori nodded, determination returning to her eyes as she asked her question and the thought crossed her mind.

She and her parents had had their time to say their goodbyes, now it was time to do what she came here to do.

This was her last dance, her swan song, the final sprint to the finish line, not the time to cry about what could have been, what _should_ have been. And Kaori Miyazono would be damned if the last thing she did in life was to mope around about her failures. Especially not the last thing she did in her second life.

Dying and coming back had a way of pointing out one's priorities.

Her father stood up, dusting himself off and wiping his eyes. "Of course. It's your room. We haven't touched it at all."

"Not since you…. _left_ ," her mother added. "We couldn't bear to do anything with it, not so soon afterwards."

"Alright, alright," Kaori nodded, before standing up, her now-cold mug of cocoa in her hands. "You must be tired. You two should sleep. I'll leave first thing in the morning, see if I can't find Watari or Tsubaki around."

"Not staying for breakfast?" her father inquired. "At least stay for that. For us. We'll make you caneles, or anything you like."

Kaori thought about it for a few seconds. This would be the last time she would eat with her parents, after all. She couldn't deny them that.

She smiled at her parents.

"Sure. I'd love that."

…

The next seven hours passed in a blur for Kaori.

Her old room was, true to her parents' word, exactly as they'd left it when she was carted off to hospital at the beginning of the year; her bed had been fixed, in expectation she might return from the hospital this time, but aside from that it was untouched, clothes, books and all. She found herself grasping instinctively for the handrails that she once used to help herself up and grabbing them for dear life, before realizing her legs were now strong enough to carry her weight. The gray-eyed man had promised to cure her of her illness, to make it fairer on her, and it seemed he had truly followed up on his promise.

And so she lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, thoughts speeding through her head at lightspeed as she grasped at idle thoughts, trying to figure out what to do and what to say to the other three members of her circle of friends. A nervous energy filled her, banishing all thoughts of sleep and rest.

Kaori suspected Watari would have forgotten about her, except as a wistful note in his memory. He was the kind of boy who moved on quickly, too confident and too manly to grieve for very long. She suspected it would be a lot easier for him to let go of her once more. She could talk to him just casually, say her goodbyes properly, and that would be that. He was a good friend, but he was probably less in need of a proper farewell.

Tsubaki was her best and dearest friend. Kaori's lie had been intended in part to protect her, and she wasn't so blind as to see what her relationship with Kousei had done to her. It hurt the young woman to think that, as much as she loved Kousei, she had to let him go for Tsubaki; unlike Kaori, she didn't currently have the approximate lifespan of a mayfly. Kaori suspected that she would be teary, but she would be strong; Kaori had always respected that about Tsubaki. No matter what happened, no matter how bad the situation was, she could pull herself together, get herself back up and continue fighting on. Kaori reckoned that, between her and Watari, Tsubaki was the one who was doing the legwork keeping Kousei's spirits up after she'd left.

' _I suppose that makes her a better person than me, in the end. At least she didn't break his heart. She didn't die on him.'_

Even if Kaori had to give up Kousei's heart, she was at least comforted by the idea that she'd given his heart up to a girl who would have his back. Kaori knew what she'd say to Tsubaki now; she'd wish her luck with Kousei, maybe threaten to haunt her a little if she didn't do her job, and then say a proper goodbye to her.

Kousei, however, was a different matter.

It was difficult for Kaori to figure out what she'd even say to the boy who had essentially changed her fate, how she could say goodbye to him again without breaking his heart again, throwing him back into the dark sea that she'd pulled him from.

' _I broke his heart once. I'd be a terrible person if I did it again.'_

Kaori didn't need to ask around to know what effect her death had on him. He was likely heartbroken, grieving for her.

 _Don't. Be. Dead._

Those were the first words she'd heard in the afterlife, and she knew Kousei had uttered them. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that they weren't some figment of her imagination, created by her mind to claw itself back to consciousness with the last thing she'd ever thought about.

Kousei's grief had reached her, even in the land of the dead, just as his music had reached her on her way to the afterlife.

Her chest seized a little bit, realizing it was her fault. It wasn't just that she died, but that she'd loved him back, loved him so dearly she'd spent her last years alive trying to reach him, and yet never once said the words 'I love you' to him in person, never once even _hinted_ a single thing about her feelings for him. True, she'd told him how much she loved him in her final letter. She still remembered writing that; five times, she'd thrown the paper away, sometimes because she didn't quite get it right, sometimes because she'd cried on the paper, ruining it entirely. It was a hard thing to make a child write, a letter they knew would only be read long after their death.

But a letter was a poor substitute for hearing it from the person themselves. Kaori felt even worse for that; what kind of a coward couldn't even admit they loved the man they loved?

' _I needed to do that. I needed to lie. I couldn't tell the truth, right? It'd just leave a mess. It would've killed him if I didn't. I did the right thing._

 _Right?'_

Her lie seemed less and less necessary, less justified by the minute. Kaori had managed to convince herself, over and over, time and time again, that telling the world 'Kaori Miyazono likes Watari Ryota' even when her true object of affection was entirely different was the moral thing to do. It would mean limiting the pain Kousei felt when she went; at least he wouldn't try to pursue her, thinking she loved another. It would mean leaving the path clear for Tsubaki; if Tsubaki didn't see her as a rival, then Kaori could get close to him, and at least she'd be safer once she was gone.

She'd convinced herself it was better for Kousei if he believed she couldn't love him back.

But did it even really work? Kaori wasn't blind. Kousei had fallen in love with her regardless, and Tsubaki still saw her as a rival for Kousei's heart. Both things hurt her terribly; because she couldn't return his love knowing she'd die, because she couldn't stop _loving_ him anyway, knowing her love for him was utterly doomed.

It was selfish of her, in a way. Knowing she'd be dead soon, knowing all that, she couldn't stop herself, couldn't quite extricate herself from Kousei's life. It was the right thing to do, the unselfish thing, to spare him pain.

But she hadn't.

' _I only did what anyone else would do, right?'_

By the time the sun had risen far above the horizon, and the clock on the wall read eight o'clock, Kaori didn't have an answer to any of her questions.

Breakfast, too, passed in a blur. She and her parents simply ate in silence, not saying a word; everything had been said last night. By nine o'clock, they were done eating, and Kaori had dressed up to go meet her friends.

It was the same dress as she'd worn a year ago, when she first met Kousei. Kaori couldn't resist the poetic touch; she'd leave the world in the same clothes as she'd really entered it in.

Her parents hugged her tightly as the whole family prepared to leave; Mr. and Mrs. Miyazono were leaving for work, Kaori was leaving to fulfill her final mission. They knew this was the last time they would see her, and so the hug seemed to last forever, as if their desire to hold their child close had bent time and space to their will, to delay time's movement just long enough to prolong it.

"I'll see you later," Kaori promised as she prepared to walk out the door, looking one last time at her parents.

She paused, turning away. She couldn't look them in the eye anymore. She didn't want to see the looks on their faces, though she already knew.

She owed them this much.

"I love you."

Her parents were simply silent, but their glances told her everything she needed to know.

They loved her, loved her too much to let go, loved her more than words could possibly express. Remaining silent was the best they could do to stop themselves from begging Kaori, begging God, begging anyone that would listen to let her stay on the earth she'd left too soon.

Kaori felt tears well up in her eyes again. She closed her blue eyes, breathing in deeply, trying to master her emotions. She just needed to hold on a bit longer.

' _This isn't the time to cry, Kaori. We need to finish what we came here to do. We're soldiers today, soldiers on a mission. We can't break down yet._

 _Just a little longer. Just a little more.'_

After a few more moments, the young woman set off.

* * *

 _April 1, the Arima Residence, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was ten minutes past twelve noon.

Kousei Arima lay on the floor of the room where he kept the piano, staring up into the blue sky beyond the large window, the sun's ray shining on the polished black wooden body of the instrument he owned and mastered. Musical notation sheets lay scattered around the floor as they always did; he'd spent the night and the morning just reading through notes. He didn't know why; perhaps it was to distract himself, perhaps he was chasing some sort of clue after something else.

Not much was going on with the world around him, he'd learned from the newspapers. A politician had said something or other about the economic state of the country, another interview with an idol, another news story. The only new thing he'd found was something in the back, something about some place in America called Echo Creek, something about a possum statue being destroyed and the resulting town uproar. He hadn't paid very much attention to it; he still didn't know why he'd read it at all.

Kousei hadn't made any plans for today either. Not that he had anyone to spend it with, even if he had; Tsubaki and Watari were away on tournaments involving the sports they loved; after all, they weren't like him, weren't utterly lost for how to keep going. Life had moved on faster for them than it had for Kousei, but then neither of them were nearly as close to Kaori as he had been.

He didn't know Takeshi or Emi well enough, and he very well couldn't just call up Hiroko for some casual hang-out. It would really weird for him to call anyone else; most of the people he knew were students he taught piano or just acquaintances he knew the names of and not much more.

And it was another way of forcing him to visit Kaori again. If he had no excuse to forget to visit her grave, then he'd have to do it.

He didn't know what he'd do once he was there.

He exhaled deeply. The only sound Kousei could hear were the movement of cars in the far distance and the repetitive chirping of cicadas somewhere next door. A cherry blossom leaf sailed in through the open window, and a sparrow fluttered onto the windowsill, tilting its head at Kousei, seeming to study him.

 _Don't. Be. Dead._

The words he'd said yesterday echoed in his head.

Kousei didn't understand why he'd said that. Logically, he knew it was impossible. The dead didn't come back from their graves for anyone; that was just the law of the world. No matter how many laws of musical decency Kaori broke, she couldn't go against the law of the world itself. She was gone, and that was that.

' _Look at me. I'm looking down again. Kaori would kill me if she saw me like this.'_

He was grieving. In a sense, he'd never really stopped grieving, not since his mother died. The happiest days of his life were brief and few in number; those were the days he'd spent with Kaori. When she fell ill, he'd returned to the gloom that had once been his life, sunk into his own despair.

He'd left Kaori all alone to deal with hers.

' _Is that why? Why I want to see her again so much?'_

Guilt gnawed at Kousei's mind. Yes, he had suffered, but so had Kaori; after all, he wasn't the one with the terminal illness. When she needed him the most, he'd hid away, avoided her, did anything in his power to keep away from her. He'd already lost one person to illness, but his mother was a different matter; she'd beaten him black and blue, broken his will, molded him into the perfect musician at the cost of his spirit.

Kaori had done her utmost best to fix what his mother had done to him, to restore him to at least a semblance of the person he once had been. He owed her more than he'd owed his own mother and he'd repaid her by abandoning her when she most needed him.

He was a coward, and he was ashamed of it.

' _She'd never forgive me. She shouldn't. I'm not worth it.'_

If Kousei had a second chance, if he could do everything over, he knew what he would do; he would spend every waking moment he had by Kaori's side. He would stick as close to her as was humanly possible; he'd never, ever let her doubt that he loved her. She wanted 'Friend A', he'd be the best damn friend she could ever ask for.

There were no second chances in life and death, no matter how much he begged.

All he could do now was pay his respects to her memorial and hope that, wherever Kaori was, she would know just how much he regretted what he hadn't done for her in life.

' _If she showed up at my door right now, I wouldn't even know what to say. 'I love you'? 'I'm sorry'? 'I'll buy you more caneles?''_

Kousei closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. It was no use clouding his mind with 'what-ifs' and 'what-should-have-beens'. He was right; Kaori would kill him if she caught him like this. If nothing else, he could respect her memory by trying to move on, and sitting around moping like this wasn't going to do it.

Despite his resolve, Kousei still couldn't find the strength to pull himself off the floor.

No more than ten minutes had passed before the doorbell rang, snapping the young man out of his fugue. Wrenching himself off the floor with a grunt, Kousei almost stumbled as he made his way towards the front door.

"Must be the old couple next door," he muttered to himself. Hiroko would've burst in by now, as would have Tsubaki, and Watari wasn't in town anyway. There was, indeed, an old couple, by the name of the Hondas, who moved in next door in the month after Kaori's death, and they occasionally went and knocked at his door to ask if they could borrow spices or salt. Kousei was happy to oblige, of course; they seemed nice enough, and it would be rude of him to turn such a lovely old couple away.

He made his way to the door, a practiced smile on his face to greet whoever was at the door, and opened it. It was probably Mrs. Honda; she was the one who went next door the most, and he knew for a fact Mr. Honda was at work most days.

"Good morning, Mrs. Honda," Kousei started, a practiced, polite tone to his voice. "What do you need-"

"Hey, Kousei. Miss me?"

Kousei's eyes widened as the girl in front of him spoke. His speech failed him, his smile fading into an expression of absolute shock, and he choked out the last word of his sentence as he stumbled back, realizing who had just spoken to him.

"…..today."

The girl who stood in front of him was too young to be Mrs. Honda.

She was, at best, fourteen, maybe fifteen years old, with luxurious golden hair that shone in the spring sun. Her eyes were shut, but he already knew for a fact they were a light blue, once clouded grey by illness. A sweet smile was spread across her face, as she slightly tilted her head in _that_ way that lent a childish innocence to her. She was wearing the very same dress she'd worn when they first met, two layers of billowy white and pleated pink, blowing gently in the calm breeze travelling through the street behind her.

She was tempestuous, hyperactive and made the worst impression.

She was the most beautiful woman and the most passionate person he'd ever met, and he owed her more than words or actions possibly ever express.

"Don't just stand there and gawk at me like some perv. Aren't you going to be a gentleman and invite me in, Friend A?"

The girl who stood before him was undeniably Kaori Miyazono.

And just as he'd imagined, Kousei had absolutely no idea what to say.

It was impossible to mistake her for anyone else. He'd know her face anywhere; he could never, ever forget her. To forget a face was one thing, of course; to see a dead person standing before him was entirely another.

' _That's…..impossible,'_ Kousei thought to himself, his body frozen in place as he took in the sight before him.' _I'm going insane. I must be. That's not Kaori. It can't be. She's…..gone.'_

He had to be insane, to be seeing _her_ again, as if nothing had ever happened, as if she hadn't _died_ barely a month ago. He knew she had to be dead; he'd seen her vanish before his eyes, he'd seen her grave not even a day ago. He heard about this kind of thing happening to people who'd recently lost loved ones; they'd see hallucinations, living in denial that their beloved had died, insisting they hadn't died, hadn't left.

That was the only logical explanation to explain what Kaori was doing at his doorstep.

But he wasn't insane, he knew in his heart of hearts. That smile, her voice, her very _presence_ , it was too real to be denied, too real to be a hallucination derived from guilt or grief, too real to be anything but the woman herself in the flesh.

Kaori had returned from the dead. Just as he'd begged her to a day ago, she'd come back from the land of the dead.

And she was standing before him, stealing his heart all over again, like she'd done a year ago in April.

He'd reached her.

The time was twenty minutes past twelve noon, and for the first time in a year, spring had bloomed in Kousei Arima's heart.

* * *

 _April 1, Nerima, Tokyo_

 _ **Twelve hours and forty minutes remain.**_

* * *

 **Eurydice**

 **Summer**

 **A/N: Not much to be said here. Just laying the groundwork for next chapter, which should be a doozy. After all, any good couple goes through problems, and Kaori and Kousei won't be any different in that respect. Also, I did say this was a dramatic fic, or at least my attempt at one.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, suggestions, reviews and thoughts, and I hope you have a GREAT day! Until next time!**


	3. Fall

_April 1, Shopping Mall, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was half past one in the afternoon.

Kousei was sure he was dreaming. He was sure he was either dreaming or insane.

The food court was teeming with people; young couples their age, making lovey-dovey eyes at each other as they fed each other sweets and desserts, young salarymen taking a quick bite as they took their short lunch breaks before jetting off to have board meetings with people in foreign countries, mothers feeding squealing children and plying them with food to silence their hungry bellies. For Kousei, this wasn't an uncommon sight; he occasionally stopped by here to eat when he forgot to grab groceries for home, or else when he was in a rush to get somewhere, such as tutoring with Nagi or someone else.

That much, he knew, was real.

The unreal part was that he was eating lunch with the girl he loved, who'd died a month ago, who'd returned with the oncoming spring, who was eating a canele and acted as if nothing had ever happened.

His eyes were fixed on Kaori, still trying to process the fact of her return, taking in her presence, running through every logical explanation for her current presence. In Kousei's experience, miracles never happened, no matter how much you prayed or begged; he'd thought he'd learned this lesson when he begged Kaori not to leave him the first time, and she'd met him with a tearful smile before vanishing into the ether.

He'd originally thought it to be some sort of hallucination, his way of saying goodbye to her without being able to do so. Now that she'd returned from the dead, of course, Kousei was now equally convinced that it had actually happened, that Kaori had joined him for one last duet on stage and had, indeed, headed off for the afterlife in front of him.

He'd thought it impossible for Kaori to break one of the very rules of the world itself, as many rules of musical decency as she _had_ broken.

And yet here she was, doing exactly that.

' _But then that's Kaori for you. Always finding some way to surprise you.'_

"You know, you can stop staring at me now. You've been doing that for an hour. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Kaori's words snapped him out of his fugue, as his eyes met hers for a brief moment. He blushed, rubbing the back of his head and turning away quickly, trying to think of something to say, something to break the ice.

"By the way, thanks for treating me to lunch," the blonde said, gesturing with a fork to the half-devoured canele in front of her. "I mean, you still totally owe me like a hundred caneles anyway, but it's a nice start."

"…just so we're clear," Kousei started, finally, as Kaori perked up, facing him. He paused briefly, trying to suppress a smile; he hadn't realized how much he'd missed seeing her beautiful face, staring at him expectantly like she had so many times in the last year. "…..you _did_ die, right? You didn't fake your death just to hide it from me or something, right?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Kaori replied, frowning briefly, before shrugging. "Well, yes. I _did_ die, silly. It was a pretty risky surgery, after all. Besides, why would I even fake my death? It's not like I have the Yakuza after me or something. And if I did survive, I would've called you literally as soon as I woke up."

"Right," the young man nodded slowly. "...so how are you here, then? I'm not dead, right? Just making sure I haven't died and gone to Heaven or something."

"Of course not," Kaori answered, shaking her head. She thought briefly about what to tell him as to the actual circumstances of her temporary resurrection.

' _I honestly don't want to lie to him again, not when I've got so little time left. But if I tell him I've only got one day left, he'll break, and I don't think he'll come back from that if I tell him now.'_

This was a difficult decision. After all, she couldn't exactly hide that she only had a day left; Kousei would literally only need to ask her parents to figure out what was going on, and that would be the logical reaction, but telling the truth would mean breaking Kousei's heart a second time, and Kaori already felt guilty about doing it once, not that she had a choice either way.

She was also scared that Kousei would run away, just as he had the first time he'd found out that Kaori's time was short, and leave her all alone until it was too late.

And Kaori didn't want to be alone this time.

'… _.I'll just have to find a way to break it to him gently later. He has a right to know, but not right now, not yet.'_

"Well, Heaven kicked me out for being too noisy, and Hell didn't want someone as sweet as me," the young violinist joked with a mischievous grin, hoping she'd hidden her true thoughts from him. "So here I am, back to the world of the living, like a wandering traveler doomed never to find peace."

The young man across from her barely concealed a snort. "I can see the noisy part. Not quite so sure about the sweet part."

At that, Kaori pouted, looking rather offended. "Hey!"

After a moment, however, she simply giggled. Quite honestly, she did deserve a little ribbing, and it was nice to see Kousei crack a joke, even if it was at her expense.

"Well, anyway, enough about me," she spoke, hoping to change the subject from her resurrection. "…..how are the others? Watari? Tsubaki? That cute girl you were teaching piano to?"

That was a difficult question to answer. Kousei didn't know just how close Watari and Tsubaki really were with Kaori; he knew they were all friends, but the depth of their friendship was a thing to which he wasn't privy to.

Of course, he had spent most of the last year under the impression that Kaori was in love with Watari and Tsubaki only viewed him as a brother, and in hindsight, Kousei was pretty sure Watari had figured out Kaori's lie long before she exposed herself, so he couldn't be faulted for not knowing much.

' _Nobody really told me anything. Not even you, Kaori.'_

"It's….well…..we're coping," Kousei finally replied, exhaling deeply. "We're all trying to get on with our lives. Tsubaki's studying hard, trying to get into the high school nearest the one I want. She thinks I'm probably screwed without her, so she wants to keep an eye on me as much as she can. And Watari's, well, _Watari_."

He paused briefly.

"They don't know you're alive, do they?"

Kaori shook her head. "I tried dropping by before heading to your place, but they're both out of town, apparently. You know anything about that?"

"Oh, right. They both had…..sports things," Kousei vaguely commented. Truth be told, he hadn't been quite so vigilant in keeping an eye on both of them as much as they had on him, something he felt rather guilty about. "…..sorry I can't be more help. Do you want to me to tell them the good news? I could call them right now if-"

"NO!" Kaori burst out, a little too hastily, before catching herself. "I mean, you can tell them later. I want it to be a surprise for them! You know, like it was for you! I might go buy some zombie makeup, surprise them both. You know, like those American horror movies."

To emphasize her point, she extended her arms out over the table, tilted her head to the side and closed one eye, trying to do the best zombie expression she could, releasing a squeaky moaning noise. The boy in front of her laughed.

Even as her face lit up at making Kousei smile, Kaori was already thinking the worst.

' _I don't want them to know. I'm already going to break Kousei's heart and ruin my parents again, I don't want to watch Watari and Tsubaki be hurt too.'_

Kousei's lips curled into a smile. "Your zombie impression needs more work, but good effort."

"Take that back," Kaori teased him, smiling right back and lightly poking him on the nose. "Or I might just eat your brains."

Both of them stared at each other for a moment, before bursting out laughing at how silly this all was, at how absurdly ridiculous and yet how happy this situation was. Kousei couldn't help but smile, even as so many questions and feelings brewed within him, all centered on the young woman in front of him, and Kaori couldn't help but smile with him, even as the time limit loomed upon her, and less than half a day remained.

The same thought entered both their heads at once.

' _I wish we could just stay like this forever.'_

For a moment, they could just _be_. They could be the couple they never had a chance at being, make up for an eternity in a second.

For Kousei, to stay forever within this moment, laughing with Kaori, taking in her presence, making jokes and just being near _her_ meant that, for one moment, he could forget everything that had been stewing within him since her death, everything that had been stewing within him since reading her letter.

For Kaori, to stay forever within this moment, watching Kousei smile, knowing she'd caused it, meant that for one moment, she could forget that she was doomed to die so soon, that she could forget her guilt and regret and avoid the pain she would cause when she had to tell Kousei the truth.

For just a moment, Kaori Miyazono and Kousei Arima were no different from the other lovey-dovey couples in the court and yet so much more; happier, closer and yet with so much beneath the surface.

Then the moment ended, and they returned to Earth again.

"…..hey, listen," Kaori spoke, after catching her breath from laughing so hard. "Kousei, I was thinking..."

"Yes?"

"…..you know, we never did do that duet properly," she suggested, tapping a finger on the side of her chin. "Maybe, y'know, we could do that?"

The young man smiled. "Of course. No problem. If you wanted to do it in front of an audience, I think I have a recital in a week that I could-"

"No, no! I mean, I don't need an audience for this," Kaori waved her hands quickly, shaking her head. "I was thinking it could be just us two. Alone."

Kousei lifted an eyebrow curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Kousei, my dream has always been to play with _you_. I don't care about having an audience," she replied, hoping the tone of desperation in her voice wasn't too clear. "Although, showing the world just how awesome we both are together _is_ a great idea. Maybe some other time."

It hurt her to even just imply there would be 'some other time', but she needed to buy time.

"Well, we might as well, to celebrate you coming back," the young man answered. Kaori was relieved; he hadn't noticed. "Um, if you're done eating, we could maybe go pick up your violin, since you don't seem to have it with you?"

"Alright, can we take the scenic route? Being dead really makes you miss all the sights."

' _I need to buy time anyway, see how I'm going to break the news to him,'_ Kaori thought, a hint of bitterness creeping into her mind. Already, she could see that there was so much she wanted to do with Kousei, and yet less than even a day to do it.

It was so unfair, that she had to leave so soon after coming back, but that was how the world worked and all Kaori could do was attempt to delay the inevitable, to save Kousei's heart as long as she could, before breaking it a second time.

"Scenic route?" Kousei was already exasperated; he could see the gears working in Kaori's head, forming her plans that would most likely see him dragged around Nerima. Still, he could hardly deny her that, and it was more time with Kaori, so it was a win-win situation. He sighed, closing his eyes and shrugging.

"Well, okay."

' _And then I can work out how I'm supposed to talk about the letter to her,'_ he thought. Eventually, somehow, some way, the subject of the letter had to be broached; there was so much contained within it that, with its writer miraculously resurrected, Kousei had to talk to her about it, about her confession of love, about the lie, about _everything._

For now, though- fortunately, gratefully- they didn't need to think about it.

* * *

 _Later..._

The time was half past five in the afternoon.

Kaori and Kousei had been wandering around the ward all afternoon, taking the 'scenic route' as it were. Kaori had taken to her second life like a duck to water, and viewed everything with a child's eyes anew; she'd dragged him to see the playground where they'd first met (Kaori had teased him about still having that picture of her panties on his phone), she'd dragged him to Towa Hall, where so many memories remained (Kousei's solo performance to defend Kaori's honor was a proud point for him, even if it hadn't gone so well) and she'd dragged him to the school, which was closed for the day (the memories of countless nights spent in the music room came flooding back).

The _sakura_ trees were what took them so long in the end; though they weren't properly in bloom yet, they still looked beautiful, and Kaori had insisted on seeing them. Time had passed in a blur regardless; as the old saying went, time flies when you're having fun, and this was the happiest they'd been for the longest time, even if it was tainted by the shadow of heavier things.

They were currently heading over the Courage Bridge, the last stop before Kaori's house to pick up her violin, and then onwards back to Kousei's home.

Apart from a bunch of kids playing with chalk on the other side of the bridge, it was abandoned, and neither car nor pedestrian could be seen approaching the bridge. The setting sun lit the sky a warm orange color, its fading rays shimmering across the water. The tall grasses on the artificial riverbanks on either side swayed in the light breeze; at night, the fireflies would come out, lighting the bushes with tiny pinpricks of light, just as they had that one night so long ago.

In most respects, the scene was much like one year ago, when the two of them had taken a leap off the bridge, prancing about and laughing in the river below. However, so much had changed since that day, and so much more was burdening their minds. One of them had died, and both of them had been reborn since that day, and so much had changed.

Kaori leaned on the railing, looking out across the river. In her mind's eye, her younger self laughed in the water, giggling like a maniac. It felt so long ago, like decades had passed rather than a single year, but there were at least two things they shared in common; both times, Kaori had been about to die, and both times, she'd lied to Kousei.

The end of the day was looming over her head like the sword of Damocles; she estimated, at best, she had seven hours left to finish her job. She prayed her parents weren't home or wouldn't notice her coming in; it was painful saying goodbye to them for the second time, doing it a third time would be incredibly cruel of her.

' _But then this whole situation is cruel, isn't it? Sending me back here for only a day?'_

Four hours of wandering around Nerima hadn't given her an insight into what she could even say.

' _I can't just keep putting it off forever,'_ she reminded herself bitterly. _'I don't want to talk to him about it, but I have to. He deserves to know.'_

She was scared to say anything, however; she knew Kousei deserved to know, but what would he do if he knew? The last time she'd been close to death, Kousei had avoided her, terrified and heartbroken; an insult that was worse than anything her illness could do or anyone could say. Above all else, she looked for him, searched for him, and had wanted him to be there for her so at the end she could feel less alone before passing on.

Kaori didn't want to be alone when she died again.

Her guilt consumed her. She wanted so desperately to stay here, to live with her parents and her friends and Kousei, and already she felt regret at being unable to resolve things with Watari or Tsubaki. Her parents were about to lose her again, and she'd done them a grievous injury by even meeting them the night before. Breaking the heart of the man she loved once more after working so long to fix it was something she could not stand and yet had to tolerate, and Kaori feared what would happen next.

Kousei, meanwhile, struggled with his own dilemma, leaning out and peering across the river next to her. His eyes betrayed the burden he struggled with.

' _I need to talk about the letter with her. There's just so much…..too much for me to just forget about it.'_

Kaori's return had aroused a torrent of emotion in him that had taken a while to process. He missed her dearly, yes; he loved her so much, so deeply that seeing her again, he was willing to acquiesce to her requests, a niggling irrational fear that she'd simply vanish again if he didn't gnawing at the back of his mind. He was happy just to talk with her one more time, just to see her face and be in her presence, but as the day progressed, his happiness was increasingly tainted with anger and guilt.

Kaori had lied to him.

Yes, she had done it for his and Tsubaki's sake, but she had lied to him; their entire relationship had been based on a complete and utter lie. Every day since her letter, he'd struggled with the 'what-ifs' and 'could-have-beens'; if she had been honest about her feelings, if they'd all been honest, if he hadn't run away from her, if they had been _together_ before she died.

He wanted to know why she couldn't have been honest, why she couldn't have just been open; knowing how Tsubaki felt, protecting Tsubaki by lying hadn't worked very well, and all it had caused Kousei was the pain of unrequited love, believing that the girl of his dreams was totally, completely out of his reach, as if everything else Kaori had done hadn't been so painful, dragging him back kicking and screaming into the world of music he'd abandoned.

But he could take that pain, so long as it was for her sake. And he wasn't sure that was true anymore.

The two of them remained silent, struggling alone with their pain, peering out over the river, the only sound being that of the spring breeze gently brushing across the tall grasses on the riverbanks. A single _sakura_ blossom whistled across the pavement, swirling about their heads as a sparrow settled on the railing of the bridge.

Several moments passed, the air between them pregnant with tension and things unsaid.

* * *

Kousei was the first to break the silence.

"…seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?" he quietly mused. "Since we jumped off this bridge last year."

Kaori didn't reply for a few more moments. The young man could sense something about her, struggling to say something in reply.

"…..it has, hasn't it?"

More silence followed, the tension threatening to return and render all attempts at conversation a failure. Kousei sighed, closing his eyes.

' _That was a non-starter. What aren't you telling me, Kaori?'_

For some reason, the thought that Kaori was, once more, keeping something from him, got more of a rise out of him than anything had in the last year, with the sole exception of when Miike had had the gall to insult Kaori to his face.

' _But I know the reason, don't I?'_

Both things were rooted in the same reason; his love for Kaori was deep, and she held a dear place in his heart. The thought of anyone impugning her honor was something intolerable to him; the thought of her lying to him again was a betrayal of the trust he held so deeply in her.

He sighed once more.

"…you know," the young man started, his voice cracking slightly at the memory. "…..I was at your grave yesterday."

At that, Kaori turned towards him, her attention gained, but she didn't say a word. Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes said it all; there was much she needed to say, but for some reason, she didn't feel she had time to say it.

The last time Kaori had a look like that in her eyes, Kousei recalled with no small amount of dread, she had died the very next day.

"I….actually gave a little speech, when I was there," Kousei continued, breathing deeply. "I didn't know if it'd reach you. I'm not good at trying to speak like that; I was always better with the piano. Do you want to know what I said?"

He paused. The very words he'd said still rang in his head. They represented more than just his desire to be with Kaori again; they were his desire to fulfill unfulfilled promises, do things they'd never gotten to do, speak the wealth of unsaid things they both held within their hearts.

"I asked you to give me just one more miracle. Just _one_."

He fixed Kaori with a glance, the grief of losing her once painted all over his face.

"I asked you to stop being dead."

Kaori looked away, her expression tinged with shame and guilt for the briefest moments, before she mastered herself, staring back at him and returning his pained look with her own. The young man was taken aback. This was the most pained she'd looked all day; Kaori had let down her guard, allowed herself to expose her true face.

"I heard you."

She continued quietly. "You…..reached me, Kousei. You always do, with your music or because you're…. _you._ "

Her voice shook as she spoke. Whether now or later, she would have to tell him that his wish was not to be granted forever; she would have to leave soon and rip his heart from his chest all over again.

' _Isn't once enough? Can't I stay?_ _Just_ _ **once**_ _, can't I stay?'_

Kousei turned away. He'd heard enough- no, too much.

He couldn't look Kaori in the eye, not with what he was about to say. He couldn't handle the fact that he was about to hurt her, but he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

"If I was that important to you…then _why_ ," he spat with sudden bitterness. Kaori stepped back, the bitterness shocking her, not so much the force as the person it came from.

"Why did you _lie_ to me?"

And there it was, the thing that Kaori feared the most.

The young man's face curled not into an expression of anger, but an expression of pain and betrayal as he rounded on his partner, demanding something of her; an answer, a justification, a denial, anything.

"You _lied_ to me," he repeated, less bitterly and more resignedly.

"I had to do it. I couldn't….." Kaori choked out, terrified. This was the sum of all her fears, the worst-case scenario; Kousei was right to be enraged at her about her lie, but she had to defend herself somehow. "I didn't want to leave a mess when I died!"

"What mess? Who didn't you want to hurt? Tsubaki? Watari? Me?" Kousei accused her, his anger growing in his voice. "But that didn't work, did it? Because Tsubaki still thought of you as a rival! Because I-"

Kousei couldn't bring himself to say that he loved her. Not because it wasn't true- it was, and always would be- but because to use it as a weapon against her would be unforgivable. He cut himself off, instead returning to another point.

"Our _whole_ relationship was based on a lie, Kaori! All of it! I wouldn't have cared if you had just been honest with me; if you honestly did like Watari, if you honestly weren't interested in me, then I would've been fine with just being 'Friend A' to you!"

"I didn't want to hurt _any_ of you! Kousei, _please_ -"

"No. I'm not done," he cut her off brusquely. "You need to listen to me this time, because there is so much, _so much_ I need to say now. I could take that you forced me back into music against my will. I could take that you did weird things to me at the most inconvenient times. I could take all that, because you were just trying to do what you thought was necessary, and because I thought that was just your way of doing things. I didn't like them, but I thought you did them because I _mattered_ to you, because I was important to you."

He stopped himself to contain a choked sob. It hurt to do this to Kaori, it really did, but he couldn't let it go. She had to know. She _deserved_ to, if he was that important to her.

"But I just…..I just thought that I _mattered_ more to you than that. I thought you could at least have been _honest_ with me about the whole thing! I thought we all mattered to you enough that you could just be honest!"

The accusation that was being lobbed at her, that Kousei didn't matter to her at all, stung Kaori like no insult could ever do. Her whole life, her whole existence, her whole drive, from the moment she'd heard his music, had been driven to find him and return him to the world that deserved his presence. To be accused of not caring by the person she cared about the most was the only thing that could hurt her above all else.

It was her turn to throw back her own grievances.

"And I thought you wouldn't _leave_ me when I needed you!" she retorted, throwing his betrayal back in his face. It was Kousei's turn to be shocked by Kaori's feelings of betrayal, and his turn to step back from the young woman's fury. "I was _dying_ , Kousei! Where were you when I needed you?"

To that, he had no response, but he and Kaori both knew the answer full well; he was wallowing in his self-pity, too afraid to offer the girl he loved some measure of comfort in her dying days. The young man simply avoided her gaze in shame.

"I…..I needed _you_ , more than anyone else, more than Tsubaki, more than Watari, and you never came. You never showed up, not until I begged and begged you to come visit me. I _needed_ someone, Kousei, just like you did, but I never stopped trying to be with you, even then! Where were _you_?!"

"I didn't want to see someone I cared about _die_ on me _again_!" he hurled back, partly surprised, partly angry and partly horrified. "Kaori, I already lost my mom to sickness. I didn't….I _couldn't_ watch you die the same way. I didn't want to-"

"What, because you're a coward?! I needed you so badly and where were you? You were hiding from me because you didn't want to lose someone again!"

The accusation of cowardice stung Kousei hard; not because it was untrue, but precisely because Kaori was right. He _had_ abandoned Kaori to be all alone; true, he had eventually mustered the courage to return to her, but that didn't excuse him at all.

"Why do you need _me_ so much?" he asked hoarsely, already knowing the answer; she'd told him so long ago in that letter she wrote him.

' _But I need to know. I_ _ **have**_ _to hear it from Kaori herself. Otherwise it might just be another lie. I have to know.'_

"Because I _love_ you!" Kaori cried, her blue eyes swelling with tears, the look of a wounded animal on her face as she spoke, her voice tinged with the desperation of the dying. "I want to have _you_! Don't you understand?! Like you had me when you went on stage, I wanted to have _you!_ "

She expected to see a look of hatred on Kousei's face, a look of betrayal, a look of resignation; anything, _anything_ at all that confirmed to Kaori that he didn't love her anymore, that she at least could leave knowing his heart wouldn't break with her second death.

Instead, she was met with the exact same wounded look that resided in her own eyes.

Kousei didn't need to say that he loved Kaori back; it was all too clear in his anguished eyes that he loved her too dearly for words to even begin to express it. Even with the pain that his love for her had caused him, he loved her anyway.

Horror grew in Kaori's heart.

She'd hurt him so badly, so deeply, and ironically all because she'd wanted to avoid that pain.

' _What…..what have I done…..'_

The letter wasn't enough to explain everything. It could never have been.

The two of them stared at each other, breathing heavily. The rage was leaving them; they loved each other too much, too deeply to stay so angry at each other. The fires of fury dissipated, to be replaced with the dawning horror that they had possibly hurt each other and tore deep wounds in their minds that could never be fixed in time, and a great sadness at having hurt their beloved.

Fear gripped Kaori's very soul.

She had done terrible, terrible things. She had hurt Kousei, hurt him so badly in ways she could only imagine.

It was all her fault.

Yes, he was a coward, but it was her fault for dragging him into her life, her fault for making him witness her decline, her fault for not distancing herself from him when she had so little time left. She'd had no right to do that, no right to subject him to so much pain for her own benefit.

She had to leave, before she did anything else, before she dragged him to Hell again like she had before. She had no right to make him watch her suffer, so she wouldn't tell him about how long she had left. He needed someone else, someone who could be honest with him about everything, someone who wouldn't hurt him like she had.

Before Kousei could reach out to her, Kaori turned and ran away, sprinting in the direction of her former home, tears streaming from her eyes as she left, trying to hold in what was left of her disintegrating composure, disappearing around the corner across the bridge.

" _Kaori_!" he cried desperately, reaching out to stop her, but it was no use. She was too far away, hell-bent on running. He felt tears well up in his own eyes, and did nothing to stop them falling.

' _Kaori, please…..don't leave me again…..'_

He'd already lost Kaori once, and he could do nothing about it that time, and every day since he lost her, he swore that if he ever had a second chance, he would stay by her side, as a friend or as her lover, to make up for what he had not done. Now that Kaori had returned, he had lost her again, and this time it was his fault for driving her away.

Her lie in April had hurt him deeply when he'd found out it was nothing more than her plan, and he was right to be angry with her about it. However, he hadn't meant to break her heart in return for breaking his; this wasn't some sort of tit-for-tat war, or at least he hadn't intended it to be.

It was best if he left her alone.

She deserved someone who wouldn't run away when she needed them the most, someone who wasn't a coward, who wouldn't drive her away. He'd hurt her just as badly as she'd hurt him.

' _It's for the best…..right?'_

The time was six o'clock in the evening.

The sun was setting over the river as night began to show its face, the sky darkening with the last rays of the vast daystar disappearing over the horizon and the small fluorescent lights of the fireflies began pulsing from within the reeds on the riverbanks. Two _sakura_ petals soared across the bridge, following in the direction Kaori had fled in, fluttering past Kousei's outstretched hand. The sparrow took flight with the fading breeze, as the petals descended to the ground, before settling still.

Kaori Miyazono had run away, plagued by her guilt, and Kousei Arima had refused to follow, consumed with his own.

The day was ending.

* * *

 _April 1, Nerima, Tokyo_

 _ **Six hours remaining.**_

* * *

 **Eurydice**

 **Fall**

* * *

 **A/N: I always thought Kaori and Kousei got off too easy for being respectively manipulative and cowardly in the series. Well, Kaori more so than Kousei, anyway; I felt, like quite a few viewers did, that what Kaori did to Kousei in order to get him back into music was a little unjustifiably manipulative, especially considering what had gotten him out of it in the first place. It was well-intentioned, and Kaori as a whole is a good person, but I felt like she deserved at least a little criticism for her actions.**

 **Similarly, while I actually massively relate to Kousei in terms of life experiences and Kousei himself is also generally a good person, I felt that him hiding from Kaori when she was sick was pretty dickish. I decided that he, too, needed to be called out on not doing his utmost to support the girl he loved. It's just an opinion, and I still love those two (otherwise, I wouldn't be wasting my time writing a story trying to hook them both up), so please take it with a grain of salt. And anyway, it'll be all the sweeter in the end.**

 **Anyway, now that that's done, only two more chapters to go. Actually, three. I might have lied a bit about this only being four chapters, but then again I had so many ideas for this I couldn't possibly fit them all in four chapters. So, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, criticisms, reviews, thoughts and suggestions, and I hope you have a GREAT day! Until next time!**


	4. Winter

_April 1, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was eight o'clock at night.

Kaori was alone.

She had been for the last two hours, ever since she ran away from Kousei on the Courage Bridge.

Her hair was messy and her cheeks were tearstained. She was huddled in the corner of the playground where she and Kousei had met for the first time; she'd returned home for a little to grab her violin, in some vain hope it might give her some comfort and gone here, needing some fresh air and finding nothing but the cold. The playground was abandoned, save for a sparrow atop the play set, completely oblivious to the sole visitor. She'd heard brief mutters of muggers in the area, not that she particularly cared at the moment.

The memory of Kaori one year ago, playing barefoot atop the playground with the melodica for the local kids recalled nothing of the ghost of the broken girl whose eyes were welled with tears.

She couldn't stay home to wait for her parents; they already said goodbye to her a second time, to force them to do it a third time would just hurt even more people Kaori cared about. And Kaori had had enough of losing people she loved. Her mistakes had cost her so much; her lie had hurt Tsubaki and had deeply wounded Kousei, the two people she'd been trying to protect with it. For fourteen years, Kaori had spent most her life trying to reach Kousei as he'd reached her so many years ago.

And all her effort had been erased in the space of a few minutes because of one small mistake. Because of one small mistake, she'd lost one of the most important people in her life. Because of one mistake, fourteen years of chasing after her idol, her inspiration, had gone down the drain.

' _He probably hates me now.'_

Kaori had made her peace with dying a long time ago, she'd thought. It was okay if she died, okay that she left the world so soon after entering it, if she could just _reach_ Kousei Arima. She convinced herself it was okay if she could leave the world with no regrets.

After meeting him, however, she'd wanted so much more; to go on, to live, to _stay_. She loved him already before meeting him; knowing him in all his depth made her want _more_ , and it broke her near the end that she had come so late in her own life, too late to get to be with him. That day on the rooftop had been the culmination of her despair; she knew that, surgery or not, she had very little time left, and wanted to do so much and had so little.

And she'd been given a second chance to make it up, to do everything she hadn't done with him even if it was just for a day, and she'd ruined it all.

She'd lost him. She'd hurt him so badly, so deeply, that he'd turned on her and told her just how badly she'd wronged him. She'd lost him because of her own doing.

She didn't want to lose anyone else.

Kaori felt another sob wrack her body. She choked, placing her head in her hands as tears continued to stream from her eyes.

' _This is all my fault.'_

….

' _I did this.'_

Kousei slumped across the back of his front door, tears pouring from his own eyes. He hadn't even made it halfway home before he'd begun to cry. He had to run then, run home, run to save face and prevent himself from breaking down where someone might see.

He had made it one, maybe two steps into his own home before collapsing to his feet.

He'd made a terrible mistake.

He'd driven Kaori away.

The first time Kaori had left him, she'd had no choice, and he was powerless to stop her. He still hadn't made his peace with Kaori's death; it was as if he'd lost the other half of his soul that day, as if it had been torn from him and thrown into a dark abyss where it could never, ever return from. Seeing her body at the funeral was a punch in the gut for him; she still looked so beautiful, so angelic, but it was a hollow remnant of the vibrant girl she had once been, and had simply served as a reminder to him of things not done and words unsaid. It had taken him all his power not to break down right then and there, in front of everyone; his pillow had still been damp the next morning.

He knew, objectively, he could make it through this again; it'd taken him two years, but he'd made his peace with losing his mother, even if she had been a far worse person than Kaori had been or could ever be; as much as Kousei cared about her and understood why she did what she did, he couldn't truly forgive Saki Arima for being a terrible mother, for no mother had the right to do that to their own children. That was fine with Kousei; true, it was a poor compromise, but compromise was important in life, and not everything was a fairy tale where everything was happy and they could live happily ever after.

He'd learnt as much with Kaori. But Kaori deserved to have been _different_.

She'd tried to fix him. She'd built him back up with the short period she'd been in his life and broke him down again just as quickly when she died, and ever since he'd been regretting not spending every waking moment at her side. Kousei didn't want to compromise and simply have to accept the hand he'd been dealt; he wanted a fairy tale ending, the one where they walked off into the sunset to live happily ever after.

But he knew well enough that wasn't how the real world worked, even with what had happened the day before yesterday. At least, until today, until Kaori had returned from the dead.

Now he had her back, and then just as quickly lost her again, and it had been because of him.

' _She won't come back this time.'_

And why would she? He had been the one who had turned on her. She hadn't started it, not on purpose anyway; she'd told him already in her letter that she'd told the lie for his sake. But he had certainly finished it.

This was his doing.

* * *

' _ **But that lie was to protect him**_ _,'_ Kaori heard her own voice reassure her, though it had not been a conscious thought.

The lie had been for Kousei's sake and for everyone's else's sake. After all, Kaori was justified in wanting not to hurt others; it would be wrong of her to cause such pain to people for her own selfish sake. She needed to tell the lie. She needed to do all that.

' _ **How else were you going to get that coward to come out of his shell?'**_

The idea of the world of music losing someone like Kousei incensed her. How dare he run away? Suffering was the god of muses, and he had suffered more than anyone, so that meant he ought to have stayed. His abandonment of the world of music was an act of supreme cowardice.

Leaving her alone was an act of supreme cowardice.

' _ **He came for us when it suited him. Never when we needed it most.'**_

He had avoided her. He even admitted it; Kousei didn't want to see her because he didn't want to see her suffer, to relive the pain he'd gone through already. A real friend, a real _partner_ would have stayed to the very end.

He'd given too little, he'd come too late. He'd come at the penultimate hour, but only after being prodded hard.

In her despair, Kaori began to slowly understand this new train of thought, this new entity in her mind that was framing Kousei for all his flaws. She saw Kousei in a new light; not the wounded man she'd nursed back to the world of color and sound, but a skulking craven who wallowed in self-pity.

' _ **This is Kousei's fault.'**_

He was a coward, a deserter, a traitor.

….

She was a liar, a manipulator, a tempestuous bully.

' _ **She lied to us. She led us on.'**_

This was true, Kousei had to admit. For a year, he pined after Kaori, staying out of Watari's way; no matter how much he loved her, Watari was too much a brother to him, too much his friend for Kousei to dare jeopardize his happiness. And yet after all that, she had the gall to claim she loved him all along after leading him on for a whole year.

' _ **Someone who loved us wouldn't have lied.'**_

Weren't lovers supposed to be honest to one another? If Kaori really loved him, she wouldn't have lied. That was an unspoken rule of relationships; honesty was the best policy. Most relationships were founded on trust; businessmen trusted each other to keep up their sides of deals, friends trusted each other to have their backs, and lovers trusted each other to stay loyal.

How could Kousei trust Kaori when she did that to him? This was on her. She had initiated the lies, after all, not him.

' _ **Don't blame yourself. This is Kaori's fault.'**_

Kaori was no angel; she was flawed, dangerous, tempestuous. Lies slipped easily from her mouth and flowed over her tongue like water. Her flaws overtook his mental image of her, twisting her into his enemy, his opponent.

What she had done was selfish, for her own gain, for herself alone. What did she matter to him now?

' _ **Come on, Arima. Forget Kaori.'**_

…..

' _ **So what are you waiting for, Kaori? Let him go.'**_

The voice drummed on in her head, egging her on, nudging her through despair. Kaori felt cornered, surrounded as her despair continued to set in.

It had a point. Kousei had been a coward, scared to watch her suffer.

Kaori mulled over her current circumstances. Now, with only four hours of her life left, she had one clear, obvious path; forget Kousei and live her life as she wanted. It wasn't worth it to redeem him.

'… _do I really throw away our relationship…..because of that?'_

…

' _ **Yes, Arima. Do it. It was all a lie anyway. What's stopping her from lying again?'**_

Kousei held his head, distressed as his own thoughts turned against him in his anguish. Like a cornered rat, he turned, looking around, hoping for some escape, some way out of this situation.

It was logical. Kaori had lied to him once. What would stop her from doing it again?

The most direct path was to forget Kaori, to let her run off to wherever, and let her be someone else's problem.

'… _can I really just….forget Kaori?'_

….

At that very moment, Kaori and Kousei struggled with their doubts, both about each other and about themselves. They were faced with the truth; the people they idolized and loved weren't perfect people; they were flawed human beings, who'd done the worst to them, who'd broken each other's hearts.

But they still loved each other. That was a fact they could never bring themselves to deny. It hadn't even crossed their minds until now.

Even in that darkest moment, their hearts beat as one as the same question, the same temptation faced them.

 _Are you willing to give up on your partner knowing they're flawed?_

And even in that darkest moment, they answered in their minds as one, a small candle-light shining out in the darkness, one small whispered word against a cacophony of despair.

Though they did not know it, it would not be the first time.

* * *

 **No** _._

* * *

And like that, the clouds seemed to clear over Kaori's heart as she refused the temptation of throwing away her relationship with Kousei.

She was right. She didn't know how she was right, but she was right to stick to her path.

Kousei mattered too much to her to just give up on him.

Yes, he was a coward. He was cynical, negative, passive and all manners of the word 'weak'.

He loved milkshakes and egg sandwiches, and she wanted to know everything else he liked.

He was kind. He was patient. He was tolerant. He was sweet and loving and sincere in his feelings; he was careful with her, tolerated her shenanigans, and the only reason he'd gone off on her was because of an honest mistake on her part; even then, even at that darkest moment, he couldn't bring himself to deny that he loved her.

Yes, he had flaws, but there was so much good in him, so much that if they tried, they could work past their flaws, both her own and his. She loved Kousei too much to simply let him go.

Kaori had fallen in love with Kousei Arima the man, not the Human Metronome, not some flawless robot.

And Kaori would not have it any other way.

….

Kaori Miyazono was no angel. But then Kousei didn't _want_ an angel. He didn't want a perfect woman.

He wanted _Kaori_.

She was tempestuous, hyperactive and made the worst impression. She had lied to him, pushed his buttons any more than any other human being on this earth had pushed them. She had put him through quite a bit in her pursuit to return him to the world of music.

She loved sweet things of all kinds, but she loved caneles the most. And he wanted to know what else she liked.

She was the sweetest, most passionate woman he had ever met. She lived life as she wanted it, and to hell with the consequences. She was vibrant and loveably manic. She had devoted her life to a person she barely knew, for their sake. Yes, she had lied to him, but she had been, most of the rest of the time, as sincere to him as he had been to her. The fact that she loved him had not been a lie, either; that meant that, after all this suffering, maybe it might be possible to earn the happy ending they both deserved.

She had pulled him from the dark ocean he had been submerged in, and for that he loved her dearly.

He had to try to trust her. One lie wasn't enough to make him forget Kaori's good side, too. They had to make it work; nobody was perfect, but Kaori was too important for him to cast her away over both his and her mistakes.

Kousei felt himself breathe freely for the first time in two hours, a weight lifted from his chest. He breathed in deeply and freely, leaning against the door as he looked upwards.

…..

Kaori stood up, brushing her hair from her face, trying to straighten herself up. She picked up her violin case, slinging it over her shoulder. Her eyes were still tear-filled, but those were clearing away. She was resolved.

She knew what she had to do.

The stars were high in the cloudless sky and the breeze picked up again, blowing some fallen _sakura_ petals along in the direction of the Courage Bridge. The sparrow atop the play set flew away as Kaori stood up, fluttering in the same direction.

The fire began burning in her heart once more, as it had when she had first resolved to meet Kousei.

Kousei meant too much to her for her to lose him over a stupid argument.

' _I don't care if I have four hours or four hundred years to fix this, but I'll make it right. I have to.'_

She sprinted off as fast as she could, almost stumbling on a fallen branch. Kicking it away reflexively, Kaori regained her footing and ran as fast as she could towards Kousei's house.

She didn't have much of a plan as to what to do once she caught up to him. The only thing she knew was that she had to not screw this one up.

' _Then again, the plan that got me into this mess didn't particularly work anyway. Might as well go for broke, right?'_

….

Kousei adjusted his glasses and fixed his collar as he pulled himself to his feet. Almost stumbling on the way up, he steadied himself by throwing his arm out to catch the wall, before continuing to pull himself to his feet with a grunt.

He had to make this right. Kaori was worth too much to him to lose twice.

One month ago, Kaori had gone where he could not follow. Ever since, he'd been regretting not following her as far and as much as he could.

Now she was back. And now he would follow her to the ends of the earth as long as it took to make up for when he hadn't, no matter where she would go.

Kousei's mind steeled itself.

' _I'll find you, Kaori. Just wait for me, okay?'_

He whirled around, throwing the door open, and ran as fast as he could towards Kaori's house, the most likely place she could be. _Sakura_ petals flew in his wake, as the young man raced unknowingly raced against time and fate itself to reach Kaori.

The street was empty. The path was clear. The stars illuminated Kousei's path, as they had on that night so long ago, when he had ridden with Kaori underneath the star-lined night sky.

She'd cried then, and he didn't know why. If she was crying now, then he would do his best to sweep whatever troubled her away.

Kousei ran.

* * *

It was half past nine at night.

Kaori leaned by the side of the Courage Bridge, breathing heavily. Even without her illness crippling her, Kaori was no endurance athlete, and running around Nerima at night looking for one person was a difficult prospect for someone of decent health when they didn't know where their target was.

She'd checked at his home, but Kousei didn't seem to be there; the lights were off. She'd passed by _Ma Fille_ to give it a look-in, carefully avoiding her parents and assuming he might have gone there for whatever reason, but he hadn't seemed to have gone there either. She even doubled back to the playground where she'd been, but to no avail. Kaori had decided to go check the school, being another likely place for Kousei to be.

She gasped for breath, hunched over as she leaned against the railing.

"How do people even _do_ this for a living?" Kaori exasperatedly gasped out, adjusting her case's strap, trying to pull it from her shoulder to stop it digging into her side. "Good grief….."

The young woman pulled herself up, her limbs aching from running so far and so long. Her eyes searched the bridge for other pedestrians walking it with them.

"If I don't find Kousei soon, I might as well-"

She stopped mid-sentence, as her blue eyes met Kousei's own.

Kousei was on the opposite side of the bridge from her, caught like a deer in the headlights, staring straight at Kaori.

Time seemed to stop as they caught sight of each other. A breeze lightly ruffled their clothing, as a flock of sparrows flew overhead.

It was an eternity encapsulated in a moment.

Then within a second, the pair began walking towards each other, then sped up, and then ran…..

…..and collided with each other rather with little elegance, Kaori almost stumbling over. After all, she was rather light of weight.

"Ah!" she squealed, fumbling for something to grab. The young man she had bumped into managed to grab her quickly, hugging her to his chest to keep her from falling.

"I got you!"

"Thanks," she breathed out, her cheeks a little red from how close she was to Kousei. Kaori peered up into his eyes again. "I….well, I thought it'd work like in the movies where, you know, the couple runs and leaps into each other's arms."

Kousei couldn't help but smile at that. In a situation like this, of course she'd pull something like that. He relinquished her suddenly, as if only now realizing how close he was holding her. He rubbed the back of his head, rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh….sorry about that," he sputtered out. "….I didn't realize I was….well…"

"…..you know…..it's alright if you hug me," Kaori gently chided him, a small smile on her face. "…it's not like we both don't know how it is, Friend A."

After all, both of them knew perfectly well they were in love with each other. How odd was it to not want to hug the one you loved?

"...and…..I should apologize first, really," Kaori confessed, looking away. "…I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you. I just….I didn't want you to hurt when I left, Kousei."

She paused, stopping herself to push down the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.

"I…..I love you too much to want to see you suffer because of me."

"That's….that's what I have to apologize about too," he replied, shaking his head. "...I should've been with you more. I should've been a better friend than I was…."

He carefully adjusted his glasses, hoping his own tears would be fought back.

"But…..I suppose I…..just didn't want to see the girl I loved slip away from me where I couldn't follow."

It was one thing to see it in his eyes, one thing to see it in his mind, but to hear Kousei admit it, that he loved her was entirely different.

It was truly out there now, the words an irreversible contract. She loved him, and he loved her. Those were not immutable facts, but they were as close to them as possible.

The two of them stood there, just taking each other's presence in as much as possible, as if either of them were to disappear any minute now.

They were flawed, broken people, people who had nonetheless been drawn to each other, despite seeing the best and worst of each other. Kaori had lied to him, Kousei had abandoned her; but she had saved him from depression, and he had made her short, pointless life worth living.

They would not have it any other way.

"…..we're a couple of broken young fools, aren't we?" Kousei wistfully noted, after a few moments passed like this.

"…it is what it is," Kaori simply replied, accepting it.

"It is what it is," Kousei admitted, agreeing. "And…..I wouldn't have it any other way."

After a brief pause, Kaori nodded. "Me neither."

They paused for a few moments, each passing second lifting more and more weight from them.

"We'll make it work, somehow," the young woman promised.

"We're going to," he concurred. "…I'm not letting you go as long as I can, Kaori. We'll make it work."

"…..even if you knew I was going to die in three hours?"

That surprised Kousei, but only very slightly. After his initial shock, he simply nodded. At least he knew how long Kaori had left this time.

He'd said goodbye to her once, but now he could do it with little regret. At least now he could atone for what he hadn't done before.

"I don't care if you have three hours, or three hundred years. I'll stay with you no matter what."

That did it for Kaori.

She suddenly hugged him tightly, dropping her violin case at her side as she leapt at Kousei, pressing into him, sending him stumbling back a few steps with her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she uttered rapidly, tears streaming from her eyes as she gazed up at him.

"…..you promise you won't leave me?" she asked with the plaintiveness of a young child asking for reassurance.

"On my life, Kaori."

She smiled sweetly, despite it all, despite her impending doom, because she knew she'd have him when he needed her and because she'd removed the last lie, the last deception, between him and her.

For the first time that day, Kaori didn't care so much that she was dying.

At least this time, Kousei would be with her when she left, and she'd go with truly no regrets.

"….then that's all I need to not regret anything."

Suddenly, a pair of shouts emerged from behind them.

"Thief! Give my bag back! Give it back!"

"Out the way, asshole!"

Kousei barely managed to pull back out of the way as a hoodie-clad man carrying an expensive designer handbag swiped past him.

He watched in horror as the man continued running and smacked into Kaori hard, sending her tumbling over the railing of the Courage Bridge with a scream and into the waters below.

His eyes widened in terror.

"KAORI!" he yelled as he leaned over the railing to see where the young woman had landed, hoping he'd catch her; maybe she'd landed and she was fine, about to wave at him from the water like she had a year ago.

The waters betrayed no sign of Kaori.

Kousei's mind filled with dread, all the most dreadful scenarios running through his head at once.

' _Kaori…..no….'_

The time was forty minutes past nine at night, and Kaori was missing.

* * *

 _April 1, Nerima, Tokyo_

 _ **Two hours and twenty minutes remaining.**_

* * *

 _ **Eurydice**_

 _ **Winter**_

* * *

 **A/N: I felt like the people who criticize Kaori did have a point in terms of her behavior; however, I also felt like that just made Kaori a realistic person. She isn't some sort of perfect angel, she's a flawed human being, one with her own good and bad sides, and that goes for Kousei too. And therefore for a relationship between her and Kousei to work, in my opinion, they'd have to both understand they're dealing with imperfect people and decide whether they want to be with them anyway. And because I ship this pairing stupidly hard, of course they do.**

 **Tune in next time for the conclusion to the story. There will be an epilogue chapter after that, however, to clear up a few things that will need explaining.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, criticisms, suggestions, thoughts and reviews, and I hope you have a GREAT day! Until next time!**


	5. Spring Anew

_April 1, Courage Bridge, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was forty minutes past nine at night.

The stars above reflected the still water of the river beneath the Courage Bridge, a blanket of sparkling gems across the dark night sky. The reeds on the riverbanks swayed in the breeze, the fireflies beginning to float around the reeds, lighting the reeds up with little stars of their own, and a flock of sparrows fluttered over the river.

Kaori had not resurfaced yet.

Ten seconds had passed since she had been pushed into the water.

The woman whose bag was stolen, one of those rich people who lived in the good part of town, judging from her clothes, brushed past the stunned Kousei as she carried on, completely oblivious to the fact that a girl had just been shoved off a bridge for her handbag. The thief had already disappeared from sight, his words still ringing in the young man's head.

' _ **Bastard.**_ _'_

Kousei felt an uncharacteristic rage surge within his body, a primal anger from the most ancient part of his mind. He clenched his knuckles with such an effort that they turned white, and his face was, though tranquil, had the same tranquility that open waters had just before a storm hit.

For a moment, his mind was blank of all but these facts; that Kaori had been hurt, that the man who had done it was nearby, and that Kousei still had time to give chase. The urge to _hurt_ him for laying a finger on the woman he loved, for even _touching_ her, pulsed inside him.

Now that he had Kaori back, even for only a few hours, he would be damned if anyone tried to take her away again. He was only human, and no one would let their beloved come to harm. Even if he couldn't fight Death himself, right now he felt he could fight anyone else, anyone at all who tried to separate him and Kaori.

The events of the day before yesterday sprung to mind, but Kousei quashed those thoughts for now.

He'd lost Kaori once and was about to lose her a second time.

But Kousei Arima was not an angry man.

The anger passed, to be replaced with worry, and then rationality. Kaori hadn't come up yet. He was no medical expert, but he'd heard of cases where people were too stunned by the cold water they fell into by accident and then drowned without the help of bystanders. 'Cold water shock', they called it. It was entirely possible this had happened to her, which meant she was in danger of drowning.

If he was going to lose Kaori, at least he'd ensure he wouldn't lose her like this. Kousei needed to act quickly and carefully.

' _Don't leave without saying goodbye again, Kaori. I won't allow it!'_

He calmly placed his glasses in his pocket, before running to the side of the bridge he was closest to, grabbing Kaori's violin case on the way. The young man hurriedly slid down the slope as fast as he could, covering his shoes in dirt and mud as he placed the violin case on the ground near the river. Breathing in deeply, Kousei lowered himself into the water, wading in, resisting the urge to shudder as the water's chill ran through him. His breath sped up as he searched for Kaori, his hands searching for any sign of her, fumbling blindly around before-

 _Got you._

His hands clasped around Kaori's wrists.

With a grunt, Kousei hoisted her up towards the surface, tipping her head up to the air. Her eyes were shut, her lips slightly ajar, and her entire head was drenched, dripping with water. A chill of dread ran through his body, but he paid no heed to it.

' _She can't be dead. Not yet. '_

He dragged her back onto the riverbank, before flopping onto it himself, the effort of dragging her through the water significantly more difficult than lifting her on his back. His eyes were fixed on Kaori's unmoving face, wide and frantic, waiting for any sign of life, any sign that Kaori intended to live out her last two hours here and not leave him with no warning again, any sign she was still _here_.

Kousei feared the worst already. He didn't know CPR, he didn't know how to treat a drowning victim. The closest hospital was fifteen minutes away, but that might have been fifteen minutes too late. He fumbled for his phone, checking and praying he hadn't kept it where it might get wet, all the while praying, pleading, _begging_ whoever would listen to keep Kaori with him.

' _No. Please, no. You gave her three more hours, whoever you are who brought her back. Please, you can't let her leave yet!'_

One second passed. Then two. Then three.

Then Kaori -mercifully, thankfully- gasped for breath, her eyes flying open. Her mouth swirled with water as she spat it out, descending into a violent coughing fit.

Her hair was soaked and dripping with water, she was feeling incredibly off, and she looked like a fish dragged from the sea, but Kousei had never been happier to see her in his life. He clambered over to her, helping her up and resting her against him as she continued coughing the water out of herself.

"I got you, Kaori!" he reassured her hurriedly as she sputtered out the last of the fluid, his relief plain in his voice. "I got you."

She breathed in and out heavily, trying to catch herself as she rested against him for a few minutes. The young woman peered up at him wordlessly, but her gratitude was clear.

After a while, Kaori weakly smiled at him.

"Thanks for saving me, Kousei," she uttered quietly. "Sorry about that."

"Never mind that, are you okay?" he inquired worriedly. "You almost drowned!"

"Please, dying was so one month ago for me," Kaori quipped. "That guy'll have to try harder than that if he wants to get rid of me."

Kousei looked horrified for a few seconds, as did the young woman, before the couple broke out into a fit of snorting and giggles.

This whole situation was absurd. A month ago, Kaori was dead and Kousei never dreamed he'd ever see her again; right now, he'd saved her from her latest brush with death and she was joking about it with two hours left. Only in one of those _anime_ could something like this happen, so absurd was this situation.

"…I think I hurt my leg when I fell in," Kaori said, frowning as she wriggled her right leg and winced. "I can probably walk it, but…would you mind…..giving me a piggyback ride? Like old times?"

"I'll be your steed," Kousei replied, handing Kaori her violin. "Come on. We've got that duet to play. Can't let you leave again without doing one last duet, right?"

Kaori's eyes lit up, before nodding hurriedly, extending her hand upwards for Kousei.

"Yeah. One last duet. The swan song."

* * *

 _April 1, the Arima Residence, Nerima, Tokyo_

It was half past ten at night by the time Kousei and Kaori arrived at his home, and forty minutes past ten by the time Kaori had cleaned herself up and Kousei changed into something dry.

The sound of water boiling filled Kousei's house as the young resident of the house opened a jar of hot cocoa for Kaori. A towel was wrapped around his other arm. Kaori herself was upstairs in the room where he kept the piano, dressed in a spare shirt of his; she didn't want to go back home to change for her parents' sake and in any case time was of the essence.

There were questions he needed to ask about this whole thing. Well, just one; all the others, he'd asked the first time she'd died.

 _How did you come back?_

… _.._

Kaori sat down on the floor, leaning with her head on one of the piano legs, hugging her knees to herself as she faced the window looking into Tsubaki's room next door. The stars continued to shine in the sky above, lending a gentle light into the otherwise dark room, and the only sounds that could be heard were the sporadic dripping of water from her still-damp hair and the movements of Kousei downstairs in his kitchen.

She felt so tired, but a strange, vital energy carried her on. It was the last stretch, the literal eleventh hour. Where she had once miles to go before she slept, now she had one final mile, one final push, and now she would do it with Kousei at her side.

Kaori didn't want to go. If she was honest, she didn't want to leave so soon after coming back. She wanted to know everything about the man she'd fallen in love with; everything that she could possibly ever know (What _anime_ do you like? Do you have any hobbies apart from the piano? Have you ever been abroad?). She wanted to spend an eternity with him; it was so utterly unfair, but then that was how the world was. It demanded compromise; you played with the hand you were dealt and that was that.

However, she didn't feel quite so sad about it. It was as if she'd made her peace with it now; this time, she could give Kousei a proper goodbye. Now, Kaori could go out as she wanted to; playing a duet with her idol, her friend, and for a few hours her lover. Now, she could let go of the last regret she had; her lie was exposed and gone and forgiven, and though Kousei and her parents would hurt from losing her twice, she had faith that they'd get over her.

' _I know you guys can do it. You'll never forget me, but you'll leave me behind to keep going. I suppose….that's the best I can hope for.'_

She smiled, facing the stars. It would be okay, Kaori felt, after she left. In the end, it would turn out good for everyone, with or without her. Kousei would move on, her parents would move on, but they'd still have their memories of her.

' _I heard once that, as long as people still say your name, you're still alive, in a way. I suppose that's true. I hope it is.'_

Kaori Miyazono would never die, not really; she would live as long as someone still remembered her. Long after her smile no longer graced her family home, long after her friends forgot the sound of her voice, as long as someone, somebody remembered the tale of the dying girl, the one who had brought light to so many, she would never truly die.

And Kaori was satisfied with that. It was the best she was going to get, after all.

For his sake, she wouldn't cry. For his sake, she'd smile until the very end.

"Your leg okay now?"

Kaori turned around as Kousei walked in, a tray of two mugs of hot cocoa in his hand. He carefully placed it on the floor next to her, before sitting next to her on the other side, taking his mug with him. He passed her the towel, which she took, drying her hair off into it with vigorous rubbing, before discarding it in a scrunched pile underneath the piano behind her. She carefully took the cocoa mug with both hands.

"I can move it without it hurting now, and I can stand and move around if I don't overdo it," she replied. "Thanks for letting me borrow that ointment you had, by the way."

"I usually keep it around for when my hands hurt from playing," he explained. "It helps to soothe the pain. The neighbors gave me some when they moved in."

"The Hondas sound like nice people," Kaori noted, taking a sip of the –extremely delicious and welcome- cocoa. "Maybe you should play for them one day. You know, show them your moves?"

"I will. Sometime," Kousei promised, a light smile on his lips. "Maybe I'll try my hand at writing a piece."

"Oh?" Kaori looked curious, a teasing look on her face. "Look at you being a composer. What'll you call it?"

"I think I'll call it….. _Your Lie in April._ It'll be inspired by you; just like I was your muse, you'll be mine this time."

" _Your Lie in April_?" Kaori snorted dismissively. "That sounds like a terrible title for something. Who'd think that was a good title?"

"It's a work in progress," Kousei retorted, before shrugging. "You're one to talk about imaginative titles."

"Oh?" the young woman lifted an eyebrow curiously.

"You just called me 'Friend A' all the time. Like that's any better."

"And what would you want me to call you? Boyfriend?"

Kousei blushed at the thought. Even at this moment, even knowing Kaori would die very soon, the idea of officially being together with her appealed to him somehow.

But then, it had even when he hadn't known she was sick. It remained even after he found out.

"….if I said yes, would you do it?"

Kaori paused briefly, her eyes a mix of confused, elated and annoyed.

She settled on a pleasant surprise.

"….I must have rubbed off on you, because you're pretty shameless now."

"You barged in without knocking. It's fair I just return the favor," Kousei replied calmly.

"…..so I suppose that's it," Kaori declared with finality. "You and I are…boyfriend and girlfriend."

Though the words seemed so immature, they nonetheless elicited some sort of emotion in her that she could only describe as catharsis, a sense of weight coming off of her. The final barrier between them and their relationship had been lifted.

At the very end, they could say they had been together.

"...but if you want me to say you took me out on a good first date, you have another thing coming," Kaori quickly followed up. "Having a terrible argument and then almost drowning would be turnoffs for any other girl, you know."

"…..if I wanted anyone except you, Kaori, you'd be the first to know."

Kaori paused.

"Whoever gets you after me…..I hope she's a great girl," she muttered, her elated tone calming down as the reality of her situation set in. "If it's Tsubaki, the Igawa girl, that one girl you were tutoring…..as long as they're good to you, that's all I want."

She laid eyes on the clock on the wall. It was eleven o'clock.

Kousei's own mood deflated.

"…..yes, I….suppose," he sighed, looking down. Kaori's impending death hung over both their heads like the sword of Damocles.

Still, at least he could say goodbye to her before she went, and that was infinitely better than what had happened last time.

The two of them remained silent for a few moments as they drank their hot cocoa, simply enjoying each other's presence and the warmth of the drink. It was a while before Kousei could come up with the courage to speak his mind.

"…..you know, there is one thing I had to ask," he started. "Do you mind?"  
"Shoot away."

"….how did you actually come back?" Kousei inquired. "I know, it's probably weird, but…..how?"

Kaori exhaled deeply. She closed her eyes.

' _I'll sound insane, but then…..then I promised that I'd make up for lying to him. He has to hear the truth now.'_

"…listen," she implored, more for her own sake than his. "When…..when I was dead, I…..I heard your voice. That wasn't a lie, that part. You asked me to stop being dead, and I heard you. And…..someone showed up. And he asked me where I wanted to be."

"…..what did you say?" Kousei inquired, but in his heart, he already knew the answer.

"I…..I told him….I wanted to be with you," Kaori replied, her voice almost as quiet as a whisper, but her feelings very blatantly clear. "…so he gave me one last chance to fix everything before I went back forever. One day. One more day with you, so I could fix everything and go back with no regrets. That's all I asked for. One more day…..with you, Kousei. Midnight to midnight. He even cured me of my illness, because he thought it wouldn't be fair if he didn't."

Kousei fought the urge to cry. He was about to cry, about to lose Kaori again, about to lose her when they knew they loved each other.

For her sake, however, he had to be brave. For her sake, he had to hide how much he was hurting.

He could cry later. But Kaori needed him _now_.

"….let's…..get rid of that last regret, then," he offered, before placing his mug aside and standing up. He offered Kaori his hand, which she gladly took. "You ready to perform that duet? I think I have an idea of what we'll play."

"Sure," she nodded. "What's on your mind?"

He went over to his shelf, searching through it for a moment, before producing a thin book that Kaori recognized on sight.

 _Liebesfreud._ Love's Joy.

Kaori cocked her eyebrow for the umpteenth time that day.

"Don't get all corny on me now, Kousei," she chided him.

"….we could play another-"

"I'm kidding," she teased him. "Come on. Let's do it. One last duet."

* * *

That night in the Arima residence, Kaori and Kousei made beautiful music.

For only the second time, the two played for an audience; an audience of cicadas, fireflies and sparrows, outside Kousei's window. They played to their hearts' content, played their feelings out, playing until the piece belonged to _them_ and nobody else. The piece once belonged to Fritz Kreisler; it was, in that moment, Kousei Arima's and Kaori Miyazono's piece, but rather than fighting, it seemed a peaceful surrender, the piece fitting to them rather than being forced to fit.

Like that day on stage, they played in perfect harmony. Unlike that day on stage, it was so totally, utterly _real_.

And in that moment, they expressed their feelings for one another, a bond that could not be severed even by death.

In that moment, though the song was finite, the emotion in it would last a lifetime.

…..

The time was fifty-five minutes past eleven.

Five minutes remained before the cosmic deadline, before Kaori was due to return to the world of the dead.

Kaori sat back down, facing the window, and Kousei sat next to her.

"…..that was...perfect," she uttered, smiling tiredly at her partner. "…..thank you, Kousei. That's…..that's been my dream."

"I'm glad to have helped fulfill it, Kaori," he answered back with his own smile. "…I'll be here until you go."

Kaori exhaled deeply, before looking back towards the window, her eyes on the stars above.

"…..you know, as ways to go, well, _go_ ….this isn't bad," she mused wistfully. "The last thing I see are the most beautiful stars, I've played a duet with my idol, and I get to be with the man I love the most. What better could I hope for than that?"

She paused.

(The clock ticked over to eleven fifty-six.)

"Wait. Actually, Kousei….there's one more thing I need to do. One last thing, then I can go with truly no regrets."

"Huh?" the young man seemed confused, tilting his head at her. "What thin-"

He was interrupted as Kaori closed her eyes and pressed her lips onto his.

She tasted of salt and sweetness and desperation and he couldn't imagine anyone else kissing him like she was doing right now.

He resisted for the briefest of moments, before returning the kiss in kind, closing his own eyes and supporting her with his arms.

In that moment, time seemed to slow for them, seemed to give the couple one last opportunity to show their love for one another, to give them one chance at a goodbye that would satisfy them before separating them forever.

(The clock ticked over to eleven fifty-seven.)

It was a brief kiss, by most standards of passionate, romantic kisses, and Kaori was the first to pull back, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"…..kissing you….wasn't like I'd imagined it'd be," she remarked. "….your lips are all chapped, and too hot."

It was Kousei's turn to lift an eyebrow. "…..seriously?"

"…..I didn't say I didn't….like it."

(The clock ticked over to eleven fifty-eight.)

"….I love you, Kousei," she quietly uttered, her eyes beginning to water. She had so little time left, so she had to get it out quickly. "I love you, I love you, I love you from now until the end of time! Do you understand me?"

Kousei was beginning to cry too, but he tried to hold it back, for his sake, for _Kaori's_ sake.

"I love you too, Kaori! I love you, and I wish you wouldn't leave me! I love you!"

"I'll look for you in Heaven! No matter what, we'll be together then! Promise me, Kousei!"

She hugged him tightly, and the young man could do nothing –saw fit only to- hug her back, hold her tightly and never let her go.

(The clock ticked over to eleven fifty-nine.)

"I…."

(The clock ticked over….)

"…..I promise, Kaori."

(….to twelve midnight.)

" _I promise I'll love you forever_."

* * *

 _April 2, the Arima Residence, Nerima, Tokyo_

It was a new day.

The cicadas were still chirping, the fireflies still dancing about in the cold light of the stars. Nerima remained silent and asleep, the last remnants of Kaori and Kousei's duet echoing out in the streets before fading into the four winds.

The world was asleep, except for Kousei Arima, who remained awake.

It was one minute past twelve midnight.

And Kaori Miyazono was not dead.

(The clock ticked over to two minutes past twelve midnight.)

Kaori remained in Kousei's arms, holding him tightly, closing her eyes tightly as if she expected something painful, terrible, horrible to happen.

(The clock ticked over to three minutes past twelve midnight.)

Slowly, surely, Kaori realized nothing was happening to her.

(The clock ticked over to ten minutes past twelve midnight.)

Finally, she relinquished Kousei from her death-grip of a hug, simply staring at Kousei with wide eyes.

(The clock ticked over to thirty minutes past twelve midnight.)

It took thirty minutes for Kaori to realize that she wasn't dying; nobody was coming, no horrible or peaceful or any other death was coming for her.

She was alive.

Kousei blinked, looking around, as if fully expecting anything to come out to take Kaori away from him, holding her close in what he knew full well would be a futile attempt to protect her; if Kaori was right, then whatever had brought her back to him was a supernatural force far beyond his already limited capability to protect her.

"Kaori….I thought you said you had….until midnight…." he inquired with a cautious hope.

She nodded slowly, before whispering. "I…..do you think whoever was going to get me….forgot?"

"…..maybe he did," he concluded. "...this means you aren't dying anymore, Kaori. Right?"

Kaori looked up at Kousei suddenly, then looked down at herself.

Her illness was cured. Death was not coming for her; at least, not yet.

Kaori was free.

She could live as she wanted.

She wasn't living on borrowed time anymore.

And the tears began to flow as she hugged Kousei tightly, sobbing and crying, letting out all the tears she had been holding back.

"I'm alive," she uttered in relief, tears streaming down her cheeks onto his shirt. "I'm alive, Kousei! I'm alive. I'm…..I'm staying here, with you. I'm not sick, I'm not going to die! I can be with you!"

He simply received her, failing to fight his own tears as he hugged Kaori to himself, holding her close, hoping against hope that nothing would happen to her.

' _Did someone hear me out there? Did I reach you? It doesn't matter. As long as Kaori is with me, it doesn't matter.'_

Kaori was going to live.

She wasn't going anywhere.

She was here to stay with him and everybody else.

After all that suffering, they had gotten the happy ending they had so wanted.

….

 _Outside…._

The streets were abandoned, except for a sparrow that perched beneath a lamppost. It lurched towards the lamppost, jumping and leaping behind it….

….and a gray-eyed man emerged, with platinum blonde, almost white hair, clad in gray robes, with eyes that seemed to pierce intensely into one's very soul.

"I suppose you didn't pay attention to me when I told you who I was, Miss Miyazono," he mused wistfully, his eyes on the window, watching Kaori and Kousei embrace each other in relief. "I am the ferryman, not the executioner. To kill you would have been beyond my purview; all humans will die, so why should I bother hastening the process? Whether I have you now, or in a hundred years, doesn't matter to me."

He seemed exasperated, but in the way of an old man, seeing the young making mistakes that could only be rectified by experience.

"In any case, I hope I do not see you and Mister Arima for another…eighty years. That…..would be a shame."

He sighed as he extended a bony finger, watching a sparrow fluttered towards it, settling on it.

"…perhaps it was a cruel trick, making you believe that you had only a day to settle things," he continued to muse to nobody. "After all, I never once said I was coming to collect you after you were finished. Perhaps that was cruel, but maybe you might have run away or wasted time, had I let you know what was actually going to happen to you."

He fed the sparrow a tiny worm, smiling at the bird before moving his finger, waving it away.

"…..but even crueler would have been to let you live, should you have had failed to reconcile with Mister Arima. To see your life's work, the thing that drove you for years, go down in flames…that would be the cruelest mercy of them all to let you live afterwards, to live so long with nothing but the guilt and pain of losing fourteen years of your life for nothing."

The gray-eyed man's mouth curled into a smile.

"…..but you did it. You reconciled with Mister Arima. You did what I thought you wouldn't do. You strengthened what you had, and made it better. And so this is a reward rather than punishment."

He closed his eyes briefly, laughing to himself, resembling a bird's chirping more than a human's laugh.

"You really were a woman worth mourning. A unique woman. Mister Arima was right all along."

A mischievous glint shimmered in his eyes.

"Do think of this as my early wedding present, Miss Miyazono and think of it as the greatest present of them all. After all….."

He looked up at the stars, enjoying the view for a few seconds. He rarely ever got to see the sky like this; it was truly beautiful, and brought a hearty smile from his very being when he saw such a rare sky.

"….there's no better present than a future."

Turning around, the gray-eyed man smiled one last time at Kaori and Kousei, the two unaware of his presence, before walking off into the dark night, becoming as imperceptible as the shadows around him.

…..

The two remained wrapped in each other's arms for a long while, until the clock ticked over to one, sobbing and crying to make up for a day, a week, a year of emotions held deep within.

Kaori was going to live. Whether she'd be taken next week or in a hundred years, she was going to live.

The tears that fell that night were not of sadness, like those she'd shed a day ago in her own home. They were those of joy, of relief, of elation.

It was a long while before Kousei was fully aware of his surroundings again, and he noticed that Kaori had gone limp against him. A dreadful chill ran through his spine as he checked his lover, pulling her up to see her face, see if she'd left him suddenly and they'd celebrated too soon.

He sighed in relief.

She had just fallen asleep against him. Her breathing was slow but steady, and a peaceful look was on her face as she slept, wandering off into the realm of dreams. Her arms, however, were still tightly wrapped around Kousei's body; even unconscious, she held on to him for dear life.

Just as she had looked that day in the music room, she was absolutely beautiful.

Kousei flashed a light smile at the sight.

"You must have been awake the whole day, huh," he noted, remembering just how long she'd been "given" to fix everything. "…..you can stay the night, then. I don't think your parents would appreciate me carrying out outside at this time of night."

He closed his eyes, sighing. He lightly placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"And this day's been pretty stressful for me too. I think I'll….need a rest now, too."

' _Please, stay at my side, Kaori. I'll always be at yours, no matter what.'_

* * *

 _April 2, the Sawabe Residence, Nerima, Tokyo….._

Tsubaki Sawabe had always thought herself a strong person.

She wasn't the smartest person in school, but she worked hard to keep up. She needed to, especially considering she needed to get into that one school that was close to that prestigious music school Kousei wanted to go to, to stay at his side and keep him in good spirits. In sports and in academics, she worked her hardest to be at her best.

Kaori's death had hit her very hard. Yes, she was Kaori's rival for Kousei's heart, and yes, she was infinitely jealous of her ability to steal his heart so effortlessly (she'd known him so long and yet he only had eyes for Kaori, how was that any fair), but she was also Kaori's friend, and losing her was one of the worst things that could ever happen. Her death had hit them all hard. Tsubaki was pretty sure even Watari was feeling it, and he was _Watari_ , that bastion of manly confidence.

She was too vibrant, too cheerful, too sweet to leave the world so soon.

Tsubaki had wanted Kaori out of the way to have Kousei for herself. She just hadn't wanted Kaori to _die_. She still felt guilty about it now; all that time, she hadn't known just how grave her sickness was.

 _If I'd known, Kaori, I….I wouldn't have gotten in your way. You deserved that much._

Kousei had taken it even harder than either of them had, and so Watari and Tsubaki had made an unsaid oath to pull Kousei through his grief, even as they worked through their own. For Watari, it was because he was a good man; Tsubaki felt he had been a better friend, even more than her.

For Tsubaki, it was also about making up for what she'd done; all the times she'd tried to discourage Kousei from being with Kaori, all those times she'd wished Kaori would go away, all those times she'd given in to her jealousy. She couldn't make it up to Kaori, so she'd throw herself into making sure Kousei would pull through. In some way, she'd declared herself the inheritor of Kaori's will, to carry on her last wish and make Kousei return to the world he might have abandoned once more.

 _How sad I feel doesn't matter right now. I've got to pull through this, because everyone's counting on me._

She had to be strong, for herself and Kousei. She had to be the strong one; her grief, her guilt, her loneliness had to be quashed. In any case, it would all be worth it if everyone made it through in one piece.

So Tsubaki thought of herself as a strong person, refusing to cave into her grief and refusing to surrender to it so easily. She didn't think of herself as one of those people who saw the dead everywhere they looked; anyway, ghosts didn't exist, so why would Kaori haunt her?

Which is why when she saw Kaori, sleeping in Kousei's lap, in Kousei's shirt (for the second time), in Kousei's house, from the window of her room as Tsubaki went in, dropping her bag of clothes and baseball gear on her bed, she was utterly and totally shocked.

Tsubaki blinked once. Then twice. Then thrice. She had to be sure she wasn't dreaming. This had to be unreal.

Kaori remained in that exact position no matter how many blinks Tsubaki made.

No amount of blinking would make this illusion of Kaori go away.

 _It has to be some kind of hallucination, right? That's not Kaori. That can't be. Right? She's dead. The dead don't just come back like that!_

Tsubaki couldn't quite figure out what she was feeling; happy that her deceased best friend was alive again, irritated at the fact she was currently sleeping in Kousei's lap, amazed at how Kaori had somehow resurrected from the dead, irritated at the fact that she was currently sleeping in Kousei's lap, guilty that she was feeling not completely happy that Kaori was alive, or irritated at the fact that she was currently sleeping in Kousei's lap.

She settled for "all of the above".

"WHAT?!" Tsubaki yelped loudly, so loudly her voice could be heard, so loudly in fact that Kaori's eyes slowly fluttered open next door. The blonde girl rubbed her eyes blearily, looking for the source of the noise that had woken her up, before her eyes settled on Tsubaki, whose wide-eyed expression could be seen straight through Kousei's window.

The two stared at each other for a brief moment.

Then Tsubaki whirled around, sprinting out of her room, running downstairs towards the front door. She had to get to the bottom of this.

…..

Kousei awoke to the sounds of loud knocking on his door.

He blinked, rubbing his own eyes as he stretched his arms, yawning. The sun was streaming through the window, the sounds of cicadas chirping could be heard through the window, and the air was warm.

And Kaori was still here.

She was already standing up, looking down at him with a worried look. Kousei immediately sprung to full attention at that.

"Morning, Kaori," he uttered out sleepily. "Is….something wrong? Who's that banging on the door?"  
"…..that's Tsubaki," she explained, frowning. "You know how you said Tsubaki went out of town yesterday?"

"Yeah?"  
"I think she came back. And I think she wants an explanation about…..well, _me._ "

Kousei sighed. He'd hoped to break the news to Tsubaki and Watari less suddenly, and without whatever Tsubaki was liable to do once she found out.

"What do we tell her?" the young man inquired. "How do we explain, well, _you_?"

Kaori smiled.

"The truth, of course."

…..

Later that morning, Tsubaki demanded an explanation to just about everything, so Kaori and Kousei gave her one; about how Death had resurrected Kaori to give her a second chance, about the meeting, about the argument they'd had, about reconciling hours afterward, everything.

Tsubaki, at first, had refused to believe them, but as she heard more and more, she realized she couldn't deny it, that it all made sense, that it was completely plausible. In fairness to Tsubaki, the dead didn't exactly return from their graves every day, so it was hardly fair to expect her to believe their story. She was, however, highly disappointed (though she pretended not to be) that Kousei and Kaori, in that time, had become a couple.

Later that afternoon, Watari came straight to Kousei's house, having heard the news from Tsubaki, and gave Kaori a great hug upon seeing her again. He was as happy as could be, and even happier once he heard the news of what had happened. He offered to take them all out to dinner –his treat- some time, to celebrate Kaori being back with them. It was an offer they couldn't refuse.

Later that night, the Miyazono parents visited Kousei's house, in order to see if he was okay, knowing of Kaori's plan from the beginning. Their surprise was unmatched when they found Kaori, alive and well, and all four members of the family were locked in a hug for a while. They insisted on bringing Kousei over for dinner; it was their treat, and he was like a son to them anyway.

The next few days were somewhat harrowing for Kaori, as she was worried she still might die. After a week passed, however, the fear went with those days, as she was almost, completely and utterly certain that Death was not coming for her.

Which meant she could focus on her future, both in music and with Kousei.

Later that week, she and Kousei had gone on a proper first date. It was to a nice Western restaurant. She'd felt nervous planning for it, getting ready, fussing over what to wear, but that had all faded away when she met up with Kousei there. It had gone smoothly, and they went on another date, and another, and another.

Their relationship had had its bumps and problems, but it was never anything they couldn't get over eventually with a bit of talking. If death and lies and cowardice couldn't stop Kaori and Kousei, then nothing else so petty could. They'd learned long ago their beloved was flawed; they'd resolved long ago that that wasn't enough to lose them forever.

Her resurrection had become something of an in-joke, as Kaori would often make jokes about being a zombie, even dressing up like one and joking about wanting to eat brains, except Kousei's, which she'd remark didn't exist, much to his chagrin. They once even took a picture of her posing by her gravestone; Kaori had insisted, and after all, who else could brag they took a selfie with their own grave?

Later that year, she'd worked hard to pass the admissions test to get into the same school as Kousei, and passed it she did, with flying colors. The instructor, for once, was very impressed with her talent, a breath of fresh wind for Kaori, who was usually used to being criticized for her unorthodox playing (not that Kaori cared particularly much about the criticism of some musical puritan).

They graduated top of their class; Tsubaki and Watari had attended the graduation ceremony too, to congratulate them, and Hiroko had as well, having seen the boy as her responsibility after Saki's death. The dinner afterward was a fond memory of theirs; probably because a drunken Tsubaki had, in front of just about everyone in the bar, proclaimed Ryota Watari to be her one and only, much to his utter confusion.

They hadn't gotten together after that, but Kaori had given them a few years.

The music world was abuzz as they went on recitals and tournaments, becoming well-known as a pair of musicians who played in perfect sync, whose opposing styles nonetheless combined to make a perfect whole somehow. The names of Miyazono and Arima both haunted the minds of competitors and enthralled them; when they took the stage, nobody else had a whisper of a chance of winning, but nobody cared about winning when they went on, and it seemed neither did they in the midst of their playing. Takeshi and Emi were the only ones who really did mind, though not by much; their idol, in their eyes, was at his peak when Kaori was around.

When they were twenty, Kousei had suddenly proposed to her, after one of their performances in Tokyo. He'd bought a nice ring, too; unsurprisingly, becoming nationally famous musicians was a profitable venture. He'd gotten down on his knee and everything, like a scene straight out of a movie. He wanted to make it official; he wanted to let Kaori know that he intended to be at her side, forever, as long as they lived.

And what else could Kaori say but "Yes?"

* * *

 _Ten years later….._

 _April 1, Kyoto, Japan_

It was twelve midnight.

Kaori and Kousei were on a train heading back to Tokyo. Only a few businessmen were in the same car as them. It was one of those futuristic bullet trains that crossed cities in a matter of hours; a clean train, well-upholstered and all those bells and whistles. It was a fast train, too; they needed to get back into Tokyo in time to meet up with a couple tomorrow who wanted to talk to them about hiring them for an event for a meet-up of the former residents of the town of Itomori. Kousei had heard about that a few years back; it involved some comet or other crashing into town but miraculously killing nobody.

It would seem surprising, but considering his current good life was based on a miracle, he was inclined to believe it. So he agreed to their proposal.

Kaori was asleep, resting her head on Kousei's shoulder for the moment. They'd be back in an hour or so, but she decided she needed to get some rest. They'd had a stressful day, all things considered; but then performing for one of the largest audiences they'd ever had would be stressful, after all. She needed her rest, all things considered.

Stress was bad for pregnant women, the doctor had warned them.

She wasn't showing yet, but then again it had only been a few weeks. Kaori had already insisted on calling their child Haru, for the spring. It was a little corny, Kousei thought, but then he'd married a woman who quoted _Peanuts_ like a holy book, so he wasn't unprepared for corniness. They were going to tell Haru that she –Kaori was sure she'd be a girl, even after he'd insisted it was too early to call- that she'd been brought by storks; the real story, that they'd gotten busy in the toilets after Kaori got too impatient to wait for the wedding night during their reception, was a story that only them and Tsubaki and Watari could ever know. For one, neither Mr. Miyazono nor Hiroko would probably be happy to find out about it.

 _Kousei and Kaori Arima_ , they'd been announced as when they'd performed. He'd liked the idea that he could call Kaori family legally now, not that they hadn't basically been since they were fourteen. Even the Miyazonos had treated him like a son long before he became their son for real, though Mr. Miyazono had always warned him off 'shenanigans' with his daughter; not that Kaori paid him any particular heed in that sense.

Kousei exhaled deeply. He still couldn't believe how much his life had changed because of Kaori.

Ten years ago, this life would have been unthinkable. The Kousei Arima of ten years ago wouldn't believe the Kousei Arima of the present, had he told him that he would be married to the woman of his dreams, with a child on the way, living the dream of being musicians.

That was because ten years ago, the woman of his dreams had died, passed away, gone beyond the world where nobody could reach her, and Kousei had believed it was impossible for anyone to ever be anything like Kaori was to him.

So the world answered by giving Kaori back to him.

Sometimes, at night, that realization would keep Kousei up long after Kaori had gone to sleep, the realization that all this was because Death had seen fit to give her a second chance at life. It was an once-in-a-lifetime chance, a chance that nobody else got. It was a chance that they'd both treasure and make the most of. Sometimes, he feared knowing what could have been, what _should_ have been; a world where a miracle hadn't happened on April the first that year, and Kaori remained dead.

That was a world so alien and yet so close, and that was why he was so grateful for every continued second he could spend with Kaori.

The events of the day before he'd visited Kaori's grave flashed through his mind. As the years had gone on, Kousei had slowly become sure that that had had something to do with her resurrection. He didn't know how, and he didn't understand why, but he knew, deep down, it had something to do with her coming back. He kept it a secret, of course, from Kaori; though it wasn't as if either of them were strangers to odd events, he had no evidence that what had happened was related.

He silently thanked whatever deity was up there for granting his wish to be with Kaori.

"Mister Arima. We meet again."

His eyes snapped upwards.

A man with blonde, almost white hair sat in front of him in gray robes of indeterminate material. Those piercing gray eyes of his were something almost as unforgettable in Kousei's mind as Kaori's face.

"…..how did you find me?"

"I find everyone, eventually," he replied calmly. His gaze became directed towards the sleeping Mrs. Arima. "…I see you're happily married now."

"It was a bumpy road," Kousei confessed, still on his guard. "…but we managed. For each other."

"I see that," the gray-eyed man commented, a light smile on his lips. His gaze turned back to Kousei. "Well. In any case, I just came to see how you two were doing."

"…you brought Kaori back, didn't you?" Kousei cut him off, needing to know this.

The gray-eyed man lifted an eyebrow.

"…..I _let_ her come back, Mister Arima," he corrected him gently. "She came back for _you_. Because of you, she wanted to return. If she hadn't had you, she would never have chosen to return. So don't direct your thanks to me."

He stood up, exhaling.

"Be grateful for the relationship you two share; it is strong, and I hope I never have to come between you a second time. I wish you…..and your child….the best."

Kousei held up a finger as if to tell him to wait, but he blinked, and the gray-eyed man was gone, as if he had never been there in the first place.

"…..Kousei…..how do you know him?"

The man turned to Kaori, who blearily opened her eyes, curious.

"…is he the one you saw, all those years ago? That's him?"

"…..he's the one who let me come back," Kaori confirmed, her curiosity piqued. "How did you two even meet?"

 _So now, I have to tell her. At least now I know he had something to do with it._

"I suppose I owe you an explanation, then," Kousei remarked. "It…..actually happened while you were dead. Ten years ago.

March 30th, to be precise."

* * *

 _ **Eurydice**_

 _ **Spring Anew**_

* * *

 **A/N: I'm still quite surprised you guys thought I would legitimately let Kaori stay dead. I mean, I DID tell you guys I wanted a happy ending for Kaori and Kousei. Kaori being dead precludes a happy ending on her part. I also DID sort of say I didn't want Kaori to be dead; as much as I hate and love the ending, I did feel she got a terrible deal out of the whole thing. I did as best as I could to really hint to you guys that Kaori was going to be just fine, short of outright saying 'Kaori won't die'. Still, if you guys really were fooled, I have to give it to myself for being damn good at messing with people's heads.**

 **Anyway, this is effectively the end of** _ **Eurydice**_ **chronologically. The next chapter is a prologue, set before the story began, to wrap up one last loose thread that I've been hinting at since the beginning of the story and one that might explain why the title is what it is; what did Kousei do that convinced Death to resurrect Kaori? Any Greek mythology experts might already be able to hazard a guess based on the title.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, criticisms, suggestions, reviews and thoughts, and I hope you have a GREAT day! Until next time!**


	6. Last Winter

_Ten Years Ago…._

 _March 30, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was ten past ten at night.

The roar of applause was the thing that filled Kousei Arima's ears, more than anything else.

It was a familiar arena; he was in Towa Hall, playing a recital for some event or other that he couldn't remember the name of and didn't care what it was. He hardly remembered what it was, but he decided to take it anyway for the money. He hadn't played for pleasure, for the sake of it, for a month. If he was honest, aside from tutoring Nagi and a few others, he hadn't played the piano at all for a month. It wasn't as if he couldn't hear the notes; he was over that problem now, he could hear the notes just fine.

The missing person, the one who wasn't with Tsubaki and Watari, up in the seats, reminded him of the real reason why he had avoided playing the piano.

Kaori was dead.

She was dead, gone, flown beyond the veil of the world where he could ever reach her. The letter didn't help his feelings; he hadn't ever realized what he meant to her, hadn't realized how much she loved him, how much she would have likely given to have a little longer just to be with him. She, in return, never realized how much he loved her, how much he would've given for a little longer; a year, a month, a _day_ longer with her.

Her lie stung him the hardest of all the things she'd done.

There were too many emotions for Kousei to process, too many things he had to say to Kaori, too many thoughts that clouded his mind. He would have done anything to have her back, to be able to express his feelings for and about her and get them off of his chest.

Instead, all he had was a poor stand-in, a stone memorial that was supposed to recall a vibrant human being and instead stood as a reminder of a life that had ended far, far too soon. He hadn't even visited her grave since the funeral; it hurt too badly to even see what was left.

For the past month, Kousei had operated in what Watari had drily remarked was 'safe mode'; he went through the motions of eating, going to school, tutoring people, occasionally dropping by the Miyazono bakery to visit her parents, but without the life that he'd had in him this past year. He and Tsubaki were trying their hardest to pull him out of his grief, but Kaori had done too much, been too much to Kousei for their job to be easy, and in any case her death had hurt them too; she'd been Watari and Tsubaki's friends long before she put her plan to get close to Kousei into motion.

He could hear the notes he played again, but without Kaori, their beauty was muted, pointless and vain.

Kousei didn't know how long passed as he stood up robotically, took a bow to the audience, watched as they filed out (Tsubaki and Watari shooting him odd, worried looks, but resolving to leave it until later), and stood there as the audience left, leaving an empty auditorium and him alone with his thoughts. He exhaled deeply, sitting down once more at the piano, looking at the keys forlornly.

It wasn't fair.

He'd been reborn as a musician, but Kaori had died for it. Music had taken almost everything from him; thankfully, it hadn't taken Watari and Tsubaki away yet, but it wouldn't have surprised him if it did. It had taken his mother and his beloved away from him already; he was afraid it would finish the job and take his best friends too. If that happened, he honestly wouldn't know what to do.

Someone had once said that the Muses demanded sacrifice, that art demanded suffering from the artist. Kousei didn't believe it was true, once.

That was before his mother's death. That was before Kaori gave her all to return him to the world of beauty. That was before he was reborn as a musician on the stage on the same day that Kaori died in surgery.

He believed it now, and hated it fiercely.

The Muses demanded sacrifice from Kousei to become a musician once more, and the price was Kaori's life.

It wasn't worth it. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _right_.

It could never be worth _her_.

Nothing could _ever_ be worth losing Kaori.

"Are you Mister Arima, by any chance?"

A soft, hollow voice snapped Kousei out of his fugue. He slowly looked up, gazing into the auditorium.

There was a man in a grey suit, sitting with his right leg folded over his left, his bony hands clasped in his lap. His long hair was silvery-blonde and wispy, almost white, and his face was soft and yet hard, resembling at once a child's and an old man's face. His eyes were a harsh gray, seeming to drill into Kousei's heart, peering through to see the soul within. He sat not far from the front, his eyes fixed on the young pianist.

His voice seemed to touch something in Kousei's mind. It was a compelling voice, a voice drawing him forwards with a magnetic force, rather than luring him forward. He slowly nodded, his eyes fixed still on the newcomer.

"…..then I suppose you are the genius pianist that everyone is talking about outside?"

The roar of the crowd talking outside suddenly occurred to Kousei. After all, the music world had gone crazy with the news that the "Human Metronome" had returned after two years of self-imposed exile. Kousei's return had been hailed as a great boon to Japan's classical music scene, innocently and fortunately oblivious to the price that had been paid to return him there. This man might have been, as far as he knew, an admirer.

"…..I wouldn't say I was a genius," the young pianist humbly admitted. "I was….just doing my best."

"Humble. I can appreciate that," the gray-eyed man remarked, an impressed tone in his voice. "I will admit, I was once oblivious to your reputation, but…..I have come from afar, to take in the culture of this place, and your name came up many times."

So he wasn't an admirer of Kousei's. So what was he doing here?

"…..if we're done," Kousei replied, a harsh tone in his voice suddenly. He wasn't afraid of him, but the situation seemed to bother him unduly; this man was an unknown quantity, and Kousei knew nothing about him. "I'd like to go. Two of my friends are waiting outside, and I'd rather not keep them waiting."

"Ah. Well, I won't keep you long," the man reassured him with a light, yet unnerving smile. "May I…request something of you? Just as a matter of curiosity, if you'd like to indulge me this once."

Something about his voice seemed to touch Kousei again. It was a polite enough request, but Kousei didn't exactly play at request (unless it was Kaori asking, but that was a long time ago, a whole lifetime away). Still, he felt that he needed to follow it.

"…..sure. What is it?"

"If you could play a little, just for me," the man requested. "I'd like to know how talented you are, if the rumors are true. Just a short piece."

"I…suppose that's fair," Kousei answered, recalling the piece he had just played for the audience. It was a simple piece, composed for the occasion; it was a strong piece, if simplistic, he felt.

The man seemed satisfied with that, unclasping his hands. "I apologize for inconveniencing you. My business does not give me many chances to appreciate the culture of the world I work in."

"No problem," he reflexively replied, flexing his fingers and beginning to play.

His fingers flew across the keys, conducting a beautiful song, playing it with expert skill. Kousei had drilled this piece into his head for weeks before getting started after the organizers had given it to him; while he resented being called the "Human Metronome", it wasn't as if he hadn't rightfully earned the name. Kousei had long since learned to play a piece like the notation was written on the back of his hand.

It had taken him too long to learn to claim the music for his own, and cost too much.

So he started playing. It was, if Kousei could say, good enough; at least, good enough to impress a normal person.

He could already hear Kaori chiding him for not trying hard enough.

 _Come on, Friend A! What are you, asleep? No excuses for slacking off!_

A bitter smile grew on his face. All he had of her were memories; enough to keep him going, never enough to satisfy him.

It wasn't long into this piece before the man frowned, shaking his head.

"…no, no," he shook his head. "….this isn't you, is it?"

"Huh?" Kousei paused. "What do you mean?"  
"…this isn't you. I was hoping that you would play something like you," the gray-eyed man remarked, before sighing. "But…..I guess I was mistaken. I was hoping to see if you were truly the one I was looking for. I guess not. Perhaps you aren't motivated right now. I apologise."

Something about his words incensed Kousei.

The last time he'd felt so incensed, Miike had insulted Kaori in front of him, insulted her for being absent because of something she couldn't have done anything about, and he decided to dominate the stage for her and himself.

In a way, this man was insulting her memory too; she'd tried her hardest to bring him back, and here this person was, telling him he wasn't good enough, telling him that Kaori hadn't done her job, telling him she'd dedicated the last months of her life to him for nothing.

He would never, ever let anyone dishonor Kaori to his face. If he couldn't protect her in life, he would at least protect her reputation in death.

Kousei's expression hardened.

' _If he wants me to play 'me'…..then I'll play. For both of us.'_

"No," he responded. "You're right. Will you let me try again?"

The gray-eyed man stared at him. "….oh? Please, if you may."

So Kousei played, and something that would never happen again happened.

It wasn't the first time that the impossible would happen in Kousei's life, but he wasn't to know that.

* * *

The young pianist felt himself possessed by an unknown force as he played that night.

He didn't know what he was playing; it was a piece, but a piece Kousei couldn't identify, couldn't remember. Perhaps it was half-remembered, something cobbled together in his memories from long nights memorizing and drilling pieces into his mind, or perhaps it was something he had come up with himself, but hadn't put down into writing.

But it was a piece, and it was flowing.

Every emotion that had boiled in him, everything he had felt since Kaori left, every single thought about her that he'd left unvoiced poured out here. This piece was imbued with everything he felt towards Kaori; she had been his muse once, and tonight, she became his muse again, her spirit infused into the song through her will that Kousei inherited.

He mourned for her and missed her greatly. He wanted her to answer for what she did. He loved her so dearly he would give anything to have her back.

The passion he gave this piece was tangible, as much a force as gravity. It could be felt within the auditorium, it could be felt within the gray-eyed man, it could be felt within the very heavens themselves.

He didn't know how long he'd played, but he felt drained, exhausted and tired afterward. Kousei's cheeks were stained with tears as he finished, breathing heavily, looking over the piano with the gray-eyed man staring at him. Kousei simply stared at him, his eyes mixed between anger and grief.

It felt cathartic and yet unsatisfying all at once; he knew he had schooled the man, put him in his place, but that didn't fix what he was feeling, didn't resolve anything else. It was a hollow victory, thought a victory it was.

The man understood immediately.

"….I am…..sorry for your loss," he uttered. "I didn't intend on pressing you so hard."

Kousei was surprised; he hadn't said a thing about Kaori at all. "….how did you know?"

"Some say that you can tell a lot about a person by how they carry themselves," the gray-eyed man replied. "…..and you carry yourself with the bearing of a man who has lost something dear to him, something that can never be replaced."

The young pianist looked resigned.

 _I'm that obvious, huh?_

It was true, all of it. Who could possibly replace Kaori for him? That would be a gap too big to fill.

"…..and your music," the gray-eyed man continued. "It was…..beautiful. Mournful. You could wake the dead with it."

Kousei laughed bitterly at that. "I wish it would."

"…..who was she? The girl? I assume it was a girl."

Kousei didn't know how this man could figure this all out. He didn't know if he should even talk to him about all this, but something about his voice compelled him to. His emotions were raging inside him now, and they needed some way out; he didn't want to trouble Watari and Tsubaki with this, he knew they had to be hurting about it too. In any case, he'd never see this man again, and he was offering to listen, so why not?

"…she was…..the worst person," Kousei quietly uttered. "She always gave the worst impression. She was always hyperactive, always begging me for caneles. She made me play into the night. She was temperamental and rowdy. She lied to me."

He paused, wiping a tear that threatened to pour down his cheek. He needed to look serious, look composed.

"…..but she was the most passionate person, and the most cheerful girl, and the sweetest human being I've ever met," he continued, summoning every memory of Kaori he could dredge up. "She was the worst and best person I've ever known, and…I'd give anything, _anything_ to have her back."

That day in the playground, where she'd been playing the melodica, flickered through his mind; that day, he'd fallen in love with her at first sight, as cliché as it sounded. Those nights practicing pieces with her drilling him like one of those hellish sergeants in those American movies; she was passionate and mad about it, and he understood why. Riding home at night, feeling Kaori cry at his back and not knowing why; if he had known, he would have comforted her, done anything to let her know that he would never leave her side.

Her desperate plea for him not to leave her all alone, the day before she died.

"She pulled me back from hell, from the dark place I'd been. And now…..I wish I had the power to bring her back too, from where I can't follow."

The gray-eyed man closed his eyes. "….I see."

"…..her name was Kaori."

The auditorium was silent as both men simply sat there, quiet, an unsaid understanding between them.

The moment ended when the gray-eyed man stood up, dusting off his suit. He looked up at the young pianist.

"…tell me," he asked. "Have you heard of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice?"

The names sounded familiar to Kousei, but that was all. There was no memory he could attach to their names.

"No, I can't say I have."

"Orpheus and Eurydice were in love, very deeply so," the man started explaining. "Orpheus was a lyrist, a master musician, who could play so well that even the gods were moved. One day, he married Eurydice, and on that same day, Eurydice was bitten by snakes and died. It was said that Orpheus was so hurt by her loss, that the music he played made every person who could hear it mourn for his wife, just as he was mourning."

He exhaled deeply.

"His playing was so beautiful and yet so tragic, that even the god of the underworld was moved, so moved he let Eurydice return with Orpheus, because his heart was so softened. The myth, I'm sorry to say, ends badly for Orpheus and Eurydice, but you don't need to know that."

Kousei's face simply looked even bitterer. "Why are you telling me this?"

"…..Kaori rescued you from your hell, it sounds like," the gray-eyed man explained. "And now…..like Orpheus, you desire to have her back. She is your Eurydice, the woman for whom you would play so well that even the gods would be moved to give her back to you."

"…..If I could only play so well," the pianist mournfully remarked.

"…..perhaps you already have," the man calmly replied, before walking towards the door. "Good night, Mister Arima."

…..

The gray-eyed man walked outside Towa Hall. It was a starless night; the clouds were high in the sky, blotting out all light.

He smiled, the piece still playing in his mind.

Kaori Miyazono. That was the only Kaori he knew of who had died recently in this area.

Her plight was no different from many other stories he knew of; a terminally ill child, cut down in her youth, long before she had the chance to grow as a fully-realised person. Her story was no different from many others he had known of before. It was unfortunate that he had to take her so early (he hated taking children, it always felt like murder), but then the rules were rules; he couldn't break them simply because he felt sorry about them.

The difference was that those many others hadn't driven a man to play a song so mournful that Death himself was moved. His heart had mourned with Kousei in that moment; he felt the grief the young man felt, felt the pain of her loss, felt the emptiness within him as he played.

Some way, somehow, Kaori had done this. She had driven him to playing so well.

He had to know.

"I wonder, Miss Miyazono," he uttered to the winds as he continued walking. "Who were you that drove him to make such beautiful music?"

He had to know. He _needed_ to know.

"You must have been someone…special."

There was no other way he could find out.

Not without breaking the rules.

The gray-eyed man closed his eyes, a defeated smile on his face.

"Just this once, maybe," he remarked. "It might be okay to break the rules."

He sighed.

"I've heard it said that the Muses demand sacrifice. Perhaps they did this time."

A plan already flickered through his head. He knew what he wanted to do.

"I've always hated that saying. Too many people blame me for doing my job. Perhaps….it is time that the Muses returned what they took, just this once."

The gray-eyed man smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He knew what he would do now.

* * *

 _March 31, Nerima, Tokyo_

The time was ten minutes past twelve noon.

The sun was high in the sky, shimmering through the branches of the cherry blossom trees. It was spring once more, spring in Japan, spring when the cherry blossoms bloomed, covering the land in the vibrant pink. Cherry blossoms were beautiful, an unparalleled sight; people came from abroad to see them, and not for nothing was the tree one of the many national symbols of the country. The shops were alive with sakura-themed memorabilia to take advantage of the time. Nearby, a child pestering their parents about when the trees would fly into bloom could be heard, the eagerness in their voice clear like birdsong; apt for the season.

It was also spring for Kousei Arima, spring when he met the girl underneath full-bloomed cherry blossoms, and spring when his fate began to change.

His eyes lay upon Kaori's gravestone, her name engraved in the harsh, smooth facade, the last trace of her presence a monochrome memorial to someone far more vibrant, far more colorful than it could ever possibly represent. It was ironic, really; Kaori always asked if he could forget her. Kousei wouldn't- no, couldn't- forget her, but now all that was left of her was a single block of stone in a row of dozens of almost identical memorials. If he hadn't committed her grave to memory, he'd have forgotten where she was.

"Kaori...if you can hear me, please, listen."

The tombstone was silent. Of course it would be.

"Please, there's just one more thing I have to say. One more thing, one more miracle, Kaori. For me."

As if he needed to say this, as if the words could not simply remain unsaid. She was the one who helped him be reborn as a musician, pushed him onto the stage, asked him to perform a miracle for her, to play through his pain and worry about her.

"Don't. Be. Dead."

…

This was the story that Kaori and Kousei Arima told their daughter Haru sometimes, years later, when she had trouble sleeping at night, the very tale that she begged to be told at night when nothing else worked, extorting a promise of the story in exchange for drifting off to blissful sleep. She was the very splitting image of her mother at her age; golden hair, blue eyes and as cute as a button, and they cherished her like a miracle.

Haru was amazed at the miracle her father had done, as amazed as her mother had been when she found out what had happened. She, of course, never believed that Kaori had actually died, rationalizing it as Kaori having just moved away somewhere, or been in a coma due to her sickness. She thought it was just metaphor; after all, people died when they were killed, so why would her mother be any different?

She never knew just how true the story was.

She never knew just how much her parents treasured every continued moment they had with each other and how close they had come to being separated forever.

Many times, their tale played out tragically, a pointless endeavor of unrequited love, ending with a dead girl and a broken boy.

Just this once, here, it played out the way it should have been.

* * *

 **END**

* * *

 _ **Eurydice**_

 _ **Last Winter**_

* * *

 **A/N: And that is the end of Eurydice. Yes, Kousei literally serenaded Death into bringing Kaori back. I felt like it'd be a fitting ending, no?**

 **Anyway, this story was heavily inspired by the BBC** _ **Sherlock**_ **, for fans of that show, in particular** _ **The Empty Hearse**_ **and** _ **His Last Vow**_ **. And a little bit of Series 4, as much as I hate to say. I didn't take too much from the episodes, but I drew quite a few of the plot points from there. In particular, the argument between Kaori and Kousei was actually based on Watson being massively furious with Sherlock when he returned from being "dead". This was also originally intended to be written for Fire Emblem, rather than** _ **Your Lie in April**_ **, but the moment I found out what happened to Kaori, I knew this story was better fitted to her than the original protagonist of the story I'd intended to write.**

 **Also, this by no way means I'm over the ending. I'll probably never get over it, I'll be honest. The best I can say about it is that at least it doesn't aggravate me as much as a lot of other character deaths do; there is a good reason that** _ **Eurydice**_ **is a drama, rather than a comedy, and it's that I can't find an angle of attack when it comes to Kaori's death. The best I could come up with was making fun of Arakawa using that whole 'ill girl does good things' archetype, but that wasn't a particularly strong story idea I could do much with. Otherwise, you might have gotten Kaori quite literally leaping out of her coffin at her funeral; funny, but not particularly deep.**

 **I also put in a little shout-out to** _ **Your Name**_ **, if anyone cares to spot it. I'll be impressed if anyone gets it; as well as any other shout-outs I placed in.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, suggestions, reviews and thoughts, and I hope you have a GREAT day!**


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